Kevin Durant gave Houston Rockets fans one of the night\u2019s biggest highlights during Friday\u2019s NBA Cup matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. The 38-year-old forward attacked the basket in the third quarter and left Daniel Gafford on the wrong end of a memorable play.<\/p>\n
The dunk drew plenty of reactions online, with some fans celebrating Durant\u2019s athleticism and others pointing out that Gafford had been in a similar situation just days earlier.<\/p>\n
Hoops Community Celebrates Kevin Durant\u2019s Poster Dunk on Daniel Gafford<\/p>\n
With just over five minutes left in the third quarter, Durant drove past Mavericks forward P.J. Washington after attacking from the perimeter. Gafford stepped in to challenge him, but Durant rose over the center and finished with a powerful one-handed dunk.<\/p>\n
The former MVP turned toward Gafford for a brief staredown as Houston\u2019s bench celebrated. The basket gave the Rockets a 71-61 advantage, their first double-digit lead of the night.<\/p>\n
NBA Central shared the highlight<\/a> with the caption: \u201cKD POSTER UNC STILL GOT IT.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoop Central described Durant<\/a> as a \u201cTIMELESS SUPERSTAR,\u201d while another X user had a shorter reaction<\/a>: \u201cSheesh.\u201d<\/p>\n Some fans also had jokes<\/a> about Gafford\u2019s recent experiences defending the rim.<\/p>\n \u201cKD (expletive) must hate Daniel Gafford,\u201d one fan commented.<\/p>\n Gafford had been on the receiving end of another one-handed dunk four days earlier, when Giannis Antetokounmpo finished over him during the Miami Heat\u2019s matchup against Dallas.<\/p>\n Durant finished with a team-high 28 points and 5 rebounds, shooting 9-for-20 from the field and 9-for-13 at the free-throw line. The 16-time All-Star helped Houston build its third-quarter lead, but Dallas recovered in the final stretch.<\/p>\n Kyrie Irving scored 35 points, while Cooper Flagg added 33 as the Mavericks rallied for a 116-111 victory. The loss was Houston\u2019s first of the season, leaving the Memphis Grizzlies as the only undefeated team in the league.<\/p>\n