Well, Kevin Durant shot.

The Rockets All-Star, who has been scrutinized of late for his decline in attempts compared to his career, missed a pullup three-pointer with 11 seconds left, as Houston's comeback fell short against the Suns in Phoenix.

That was Durant's 14th shot of the night -- the same number he took in the prior game (also a loss, that one to Minnesota), and the sixth in seven games that he had taken fewer than 15.

Kevin Durant missed 3 that would've tied the game.

Suns snapped an 8-game losing skid to Rockets, who beat them four times last season.

Phoenix 102, Houston 99 F. #Suns pic.twitter.com/cDHOJ4LurH

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 8, 2026

Durant wasn't questioned after about the decision to fire in that spot, since it's customary for him to have the ball in his hands late. Even with Dillon Brooks guarding him closely, the taller Durant was still able to rise up and get a clean look after a pump fake. It just hit the front of the rim.

No, the question was again about why he didn't shoot more early, even if that seemed to be a bit of a running gag among Rockets reporters, following Durant's spirited back and forth with one on the topic earlier in the week. Asked why he took only one shot in the first quarter, as the Rockets were falling nearly 20 behind, Durant repeated what he has said before: "Why doesn't that matter."

Then he laughed: "Nah, it's an inside joke."

This man is a troll 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/4qApHDWauP

— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) November 8, 2026

"No, I mean, sometimes it's gonna go like that," Durant said.

It has been going like that more often, however. Durant has never averaged fewer than 16.5 shots in a healthy season, and his career average is 18.6 per game. After Saturday night, he's now at 12.6. That's second on the team to Alperen Sengun (15.6), who struggled Saturday, especially in the first half -- and not far ahead of Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith, Jr.

Some of this is definitely by design, as coach Ime Udoka acknowledged recently. The Rockets are trying to be less reliant on the two-decade superstar, as he nears 39 years old, and attempting to empower the core trio that they recently extended. And the overall problem Saturday wasn't that Durant didn't shoot enough -- but rather, that no one other than Thompson shot especially well.

Other issues for Houston

Durant was just 5 of 14, but Sengun was worse (5 of 16), and the bench was even more wayward (Marcus Smart, Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard combined to shoot 5 of 23). Still, the pressure and burden typically falls on the most accomplished scorer, and that's still Durant, even if he's taking a slight step back. At the moment, he appears OK with stepping back a bit with the shooting, even if he's not in favor of load management of games or minutes.

We'll see if he tries to get going earlier in the next two games, against West rivals Denver and Golden State -- that last one featuring a former teammate, Stephen Curry, whose shot load has actually increased of late, unbelievably.