Durant admits game-winner over Suns meant more because he was 'kicked out'

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s Kevin Durant said hitting the game-winning shot Monday night against the Phoenix Suns meant more because it came against his former team that he felt kicked him out.

Durant scored 26 points and his 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to go lifted the Rockets to the 100-97 victory.

Asked if it meant more because it came against the the Suns, the 15-time All-Star didn't hold back.

“Most definitely,” he said. “A place that I didn’t want to leave. My first time — I don’t want to sound too dramatic, but I will — to be kicked out of a place.”

The game was tied when Durant drained the 27-footer to give the Rockets the victory. Durant joined the Rockets from Phoenix this summer in a blockbuster trade that sent Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to the Suns.

“It feels good to play against a team that booted you out of the building and scapegoated you for all the problems they had,” he said. “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 got a chip on your shoulder.”

The 37-year-old Durant spent 2 ½ seasons with the Suns after a trade from the Nets in Feb. 2023. He was an All-Star in both of his full seasons there, but the team failed to meet expectations, losing in the first round of the postseason in the 2023-24 season and failing to reach the playoffs last season.

“It’s nothing but love for the players, but I want to beat that team,” he 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.”

But Durant said he hopes these feelings won’t linger too long.

“By the time I get home tonight, I probably won’t even remember it,” he said. “Well, I will remember it, but I’ll try my best to forget about it and move on to the next one.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant, left, is defended by Phoenix Suns' Royce O'Neale (00) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant (7) is defended by Phoenix Suns' Royce O'Neale during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant (7) celebrates with Amen Thompson (1) after making a game-winning 3-point basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant (7) shoots a game-winning 3-pointer as Phoenix Suns' Royce O'Neale defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant (7) celebrates after making a game-winning 3-point basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 7, 2026--

QwikOS officially launches today, introducing a universal mobile application that connects open-SDK humanoid robots and provides a single, consistent interface for accessing each robot’s available commands and community features. QwikOS is designed to complement manufacturer software, firmware, and control systems by providing developers with a universal way to integrate new features they create, while making it easier for everyday robot owners to discover and use them without needing robotics or software-development expertise.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260107972443/en/

Available Now on iOS and Android

QwikOS is accessible to consumers via the Apple App Store and Google Play, representing the first hardware-agnostic humanoid operating system and app ecosystem available to end users. This release delivers secure infrastructure for the global humanoid development community to deploy, test, and scale applications across varied hardware.

Industry’s First Universal Humanoid App Store

The QwikOS App Store delivers the industry’s first and largest catalog of third-party features and actions built for humanoid robots. QwikOS addresses the prior limitation of requiring developers to commit to a single proprietary platform. Capabilities developed on QwikOS can be published and deployed across any open-SDK humanoid hardware.

Universal Humanoid Hardware

QwikOS integrates with any humanoid robot hardware offering an open-source software developer kit (SDK), standardizing the user experience while underlying robot behavior remains implemented by each device’s SDK. QwikOS has completed production validation on the Unitree Robotics G1 EDU models and is the only third-party operating system supporting the Unitree G1 series. QwikOS brings compatibility to open-source humanoid hardware available now and coming soon (including Pollen Robotics, Booster Robotics, Agibot Tech, MagicLabs Robotics, EngineAI, and LimX Dynamics).

Developer Console & Monetization

QwikOS provides a centralized developer console that enables developers to submit features across multiple humanoid hardware platforms. The platform also enables developers to earn from feature development through the QwikOS App Store, including optional paid features, licensing models, and commercial distribution opportunities where supported. These mechanisms are intended to help developers maintain, improve, and support higher-quality features over time, aligned with real adoption and usage.

Integrations

QwikOS supports integrations with third-party platforms, enabling organizations and developers to extend humanoid capabilities by integrating existing technologies—such as LLMs like ChatGPT and external hardware ecosystems like Meta Quest VR headsets—while presenting these integrations to end users within a single, unified interface for streamlined configuration and control.

Learn More

A detailed whitepaper providing an overview of the platform is available on the QwikOS website. It is designed to help developers, integration partners, and corporate stakeholders understand QwikOS core technology, including how the platform enables standardized application deployment for humanoid robots and integrates with manufacturer SDKs.

QwikOS Debuts World's First Universal Humanoid Operating System and App Store