The night took a sharp turn midway through the second quarter at Toyota Center, when Jonathan Kuminga’s elbow to Alperen Sengun’s face set off a brief but heated confrontation. Sengun was on the receiving end of the contact, and Kevin Durant wasted no time stepping in after what he saw from the Timberwolves forward.
Kuminga appeared to think Sengun was being too physical on defense and answered with his off-hand. Durant took exception, moving in on Kuminga before teammates and officials got between them and cooled things down.
Officials went back and looked at the play, then hit Kuminga with a flagrant 1. Sengun, meanwhile, seemed to feel that wasn’t enough and believed the play should have led to an ejection instead of just a warning.
The moment quickly made the rounds online, where reactions split in different directions. Some fans praised Durant for backing up his teammate, while others pointed fingers at both players involved.
Among the comments circulating were: “I love that Kevin Durant was the first person to say something to Jonathan Kuminga. Don’t tell me KD doesn’t go to bat for his teammates.”
“You have to like how Kevin Durant stood up for Alperen.” “That did not look like it was on purpose at all.”
“Should’ve been a flopping foul on Sengun.” “Kuminga learned this from Draymond.”
“That’s a massive flop.”
Once the dust settled, the game stayed tight through three quarters before the Timberwolves seized control late. Jonathan Kuminga delivered the biggest punch in the fourth, scoring eight points on perfect shooting in the final period, going 3-for-3 and knocking down clutch baskets as Minnesota pulled away for a 117-107 win over Houston.
Kuminga finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block. He shot 5-10 from the field and 4-7 from three.
Alperen Sengun nearly finished with a triple-double, posting 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, but he did it on 5-15 shooting. Durant led the Rockets with 21 points, five rebounds, and two assists, shooting 7-14 overall and 2-5 from deep.
The result pushed the Rockets to 7-2 on the season and second in the West behind the Portland Trail Blazers. The Timberwolves moved to 6-3 and sit seventh in the conference.
These teams won’t meet again in the 2026 calendar year, with all three of their remaining matchups coming in 2027 on January 5, January 20, and April 11. Anthony Edwards is expected to be back for those games, and tonight’s result gave the Timberwolves a useful reminder that they can take down a highly rated Rockets team even without their star.
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