Kevin Durant said a desire to overcome his recent struggles with 3-point attempts had motivated him after powering the Houston Rockets past the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Durant scored 39 points and made a season-best six 3-pointers – from eight such attempts – as Houston improved to 24-15 for the year with a 110-105 victory at Toyota Center.

The 15-time All-Star had struggled from 3-point range in recent weeks, failing to make more than two in eight of his previous 10 games (four each in the other two).

That run culminated in a 0-5 performance in Houston's defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder last time out.

Durant was relieved to finally find his range, though he is now chasing a complete performance after seeing his free-throw rate drop to 78.6% against Minnesota, following five perfect displays in his previous eight games. 

"I was conscious of it. I knew I was struggling from the 3 in the last few games, and I wanted to turn it around," Durant said afterwards.

"But then my free throws went away, so I've got to make sure both of those are working at the same time.

"Pre-game, I was so focused on going through my whole process on my 3s, not rushing, keeping my follow-through up. I just try to duplicate that same performance in the real game."

that’s just what he does  pic.twitter.com/vDE6pDysN9

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 17, 2026

Durant's team-mate Reed Sheppard never had any concerns about Houston's shooting, saying: "Any time the ball goes in, the game's a lot easier, it's a lot more fun, but the last thing I'm worried about with this group is the shooting ability.

"We've been in the gym a lot, and I've seen these guys shoot. Everyone on the team can shoot extremely well. 

"That's basketball sometimes. You're going to make shots and miss shots. Unfortunately, we've been missing a lot, but I have no doubt that will turn, and we'll get on a roll."

Houston are back in action on Sunday, against the New Orleans Pelicans, while Minnesota are on a back-to-back and face the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.