Durant’s 31 points leads bigger Rockets past Poeltl-less Raptors 139-121

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) drives the net during the first half of NBA basketball action in Toronto, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Thomas Skrlj

TORONTO — Kevin Durant had 31 points as the Houston Rockets flew past the Toronto Raptors 139-121 on Wednesday.

Durant also had five rebounds and an assist as Houston (2-2) won back-to-back games. Jabari Smith Jr. added 25 points with five boards and five assists.

Alperen Sengun neared a triple double with 18 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Scottie Barnes also had 31 points as Toronto (1-4) dropped its fourth straight game. Barnes added five rebounds and two assists.

Brandon Ingram had 29 points, four assists and two rebounds.

Raptors starting centre Jakob Poeltl was ruled out hours before the opening tip-off with lower back stiffness.

Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles made his first career NBA start in just the third game of his career. He finished with 13 points and two assists over 25 minutes.

The game’s start time was moved up by an hour to allow fans to watch the Toronto Blue Jays play the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. Scotiabank Arena had the critical baseball game up on in-arena screens following the final buzzer of the Raptors game.

Takeaways

Rockets: At different points in the night Houston was able to put five players all over six-foot-10, at least an inch taller than six-foot-nine Sandro Mamukelashvii, the tallest Toronto player. The size advantage held by Smith (6-11), Durant (6-10), Sengun (6-11), Steven Adams (6-11), and Clint Capela (6-10) over the entire Raptors roster allowed them to out-rebound the hosts 53-22.

Raptors: Poeltl’s absence hurt Toronto in two ways. First, it allowed Sengun and Adams free reign around the basket, with Houston outscoring the Raptors 66-36 in the paint. It also hurt Toronto’s depth, with the Rockets getting 37 bench points to the Raptors’ 23.

Key moment

Durant’s driving layup 4:16 into the third quarter capped Houston’s 16-6 run to open the second half.

Key stat

Toronto lost despite being more efficient from three-point range, going 21 for 40 (52.5 per cent) from beyond the arc.

Up next

Raptors: Travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Friday.

Rockets: Head to Boston to take on the Celtics on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press