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The Houston Rockets pulled out a gritty 105-101 road win over the Charlotte Hornets, riding a dominant fourth-quarter surge and late-game heroics from Kevin Durant.

Charlotte set the tone early, using balanced scoring to build a nine-point first-quarter lead. But the Hornets cooled off in the second, scoring just 19 points as Houston answered with a 29-19 run to seize momentum. The third quarter turned into a tug-of-war, with multiple lead changes before the Rockets carried a slim two-point edge into the fourth.

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Houston’s defense took control down the stretch, holding Charlotte to just six points over a 7:23 span while engineering a decisive 15-6 run to create separation. The Hornets rallied late behind Knueppel, who drilled a three-pointer with 32 seconds left to trim the deficit to three.

Durant responded with a tough step-back jumper to restore a five-point cushion. After another Hornets three cut it to two, Durant calmly knocked down two free throws to seal the victory. He finished with a game-high 35 points and eight rebounds, including 10 in the final period.

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Grant Williams paced Charlotte with 20 points in the loss.

The Hornets will host Cleveland on the second night of a back-to-back, while Houston heads to New York to face the Knicks on February 22.