Kevin Durant admitted his last-gasp 3-pointer to guide the Houston Rockets past the Phoenix Suns felt even sweeter after his former team "booted" him out last year.

Durant broke a tie with 1.1 seconds remaining in Monday's game as the Rockets improved to 3-0 against the Sun this season, winning 100-97 at Toyota Center.

The 37-year-old finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, though he only made one of 10 3-point attempts before sinking his clutch triple at the death.

And given the way Durant's stint in Houston ended, that moment felt particularly good.

Durant was with the Suns from February 2023 – when he was traded by the Brooklyn Nets – until July 2025. 

He was an All-Star in both of his full seasons with the team, but they suffered a first-round elimination from the playoffs in 2023-24 then failed to make the postseason the following year, and his eventual exit in a seven-team trade was acrimonious.

Asked if it meant more to beat the Suns after Monday's game, Durant said: "Most definitely. It was a place that I didn't want to leave. 

"It was my first time – I don't want to sound too dramatic, but I will – being kicked out of a place!

"It feels good to play against a team that booted you out of the building and scapegoated you for all the problems they had. 

"And it hurt because I put all my effort and love and care towards the Suns and the Phoenix area and Arizona in general. 

"But that's just the business, that's the name of the game. So, when you play against a former team, yeah, you've got a chip on your shoulder."

Kevin Durant has 771 points through 30 career games with Houston, the most by any player age-35 or older through 30 career games with a new team.

The only other player with at least 700:

Michael Jordan, Was 737 pic.twitter.com/XSS22SixqY

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) January 5, 2026

Durant has 771 points through 30 games with Houston, the most by any player aged 35 or older in their first 30 outings with a new team.

The only other player to ever tally more than 700 through their first 30 games with a new team aged 35 or older is Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards (737).

And while he still has nothing but admiration for his former team-mates, Durant wanted to show his former employers that age has not slowed him down.

"It's nothing but love for the players, but I want to beat that team," Durant said. "I want to show them that I still got some juice in the tank. 

"Even though I'm old, I still can play. I feel like every player has that mentality playing against their former team. 

"I don't think it's malicious in any way towards them. But just as a competitor, you want to go out there and beat them."