Kevin Durant rewrites history

There’s no question: Kevin Durant is one of the most influential figures in NBA history. With all his brilliance—and plenty of flaws too—Durant continues to break records and cement his place as one of the league’s most unique and unforgettable stars.

In Houston last night, during the Rockets’ 117–98 win over the Phoenix Suns, Durant crossed the 31,000-point milestone in his career. He’s now one of just eight players ever to reach that mark. Ahead of him on the all-time scoring list are LeBron James (the only player above 40,000), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wilt Chamberlain. These are names without which the NBA simply cannot be understood.

Chasing legends

Durant turned 37 on September 27, and if he stays healthy, he could pass Chamberlain and Nowitzki this season. Depending on how long he plays, he might even surpass Jordan and Kobe, potentially finishing as the fourth-highest scorer in NBA history.

It’s a remarkable possibility for a player as charismatic as he is polarizing—someone who never seemed fully comfortable even in the Warriors dynasty, and who has bounced from team to team before landing with the Rockets. Houston has embraced his veteran presence in their push for a championship, and it’s paying off: the Rockets are now 15–5, sitting alone in second place in the Western Conference.

Vintage Durant performance

Against his former team, Durant poured in 28 points, adding 4 rebounds, 8 assists (though with 5 turnovers), and 3 steals. He shot an efficient 11-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-2 from deep and 4-of-4 at the line.

That keeps his season average above 25 points per game—a mark he’s maintained every year since his rookie campaign, when he posted 20.3 points and won Rookie of the Year. His consistency is another testament to the incredible longevity of his generation, with several stars still performing at elite levels despite the grind of long careers.

Rockets roll past Suns

Houston dominated despite losing the first quarter 31–24. They exploded for 44 points in the second, held Phoenix to just 14 in the third, and led by as many as 30 despite committing 21 turnovers.

The Suns, missing Devin Booker, got 23 points from Dillon Brooks, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Even without Alperen Şengün, the Rockets spaced the floor beautifully, hitting 10-of-18 from three and dishing out 25 assists compared to Phoenix’s 14. Rookie Amen Thompson was another standout, scoring 31 on 12-of-17 shooting.

Still, all eyes were on Durant. Time, teammates, rivals—it doesn’t matter. He keeps rewriting history in spectacular fashion. A generational superstar, absolute and unique.

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Houston Rockets

Stats

7 Kevin Durant
10 Jabari Smith Jr.
12 Steven Adams
20 Josh Okogie
1 Amen Thompson
30 Clint Capela
4 JD Davison
32 Jeff Green
0 Aaron Holiday
15 Reed Sheppard
8 Jae'Sean Tate
27 Isaiah Crawford

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
7 Kevin Durant	32	28	4	0	4	8	5	3	1	4/4	9/15	2/2	0	2	0
10 Jabari Smith Jr.	27	16	2	0	2	2	2	0	0	5/5	4/6	1/2	0	3	0
12 Steven Adams	29	4	8	3	5	3	1	2	2	0/0	2/4	0/0	0	5	0
20 Josh Okogie	16	6	4	0	4	1	2	1	1	0/0	3/3	0/0	0	1	0
1 Amen Thompson	31	31	4	0	4	1	3	0	0	6/6	11/16	1/1	0	0	0
30 Clint Capela	18	4	7	3	4	1	2	0	4	0/2	2/3	0/0	0	2	0
4 JD Davison	6	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/2	0/1	0	0	0
32 Jeff Green	8	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/1	0	2	0
0 Aaron Holiday	29	10	1	0	1	2	2	2	0	2/2	1/1	2/2	0	1	0
15 Reed Sheppard	20	10	5	0	5	6	2	1	0	0/0	2/4	2/7	0	1	0
8 Jae'Sean Tate	19	8	2	0	2	1	2	0	0	0/0	1/4	2/2	0	3	0
27 Isaiah Crawford	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Phoenix Suns

Stats

3 Dillon Brooks
0 Royce O'Neale
15 Mark Williams
8 Grayson Allen
12 Collin Gillespie
17 Jamaree Bouyea
0 Ryan Dunn
20 Rasheer Fleming
23 Jordan Goodwin
21 Nigel Hayes
11 Oso Ighodaro
10 Khaman Maluach
2 Nick Richards
14 Koby Brea

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
3 Dillon Brooks	31	23	4	3	1	4	3	0	0	3/4	10/20	0/4	0	4	0
0 Royce O'Neale	19	0	2	0	2	2	1	1	0	0/0	0/0	0/4	0	1	0
15 Mark Williams	17	10	3	3	0	0	2	2	0	2/2	4/6	0/0	0	1	0
8 Grayson Allen	26	9	2	0	2	0	3	1	0	2/2	2/5	1/7	0	3	0
12 Collin Gillespie	28	13	2	1	1	3	1	0	0	2/2	4/6	1/7	0	1	0
17 Jamaree Bouyea	18	18	2	1	1	1	0	1	0	2/2	5/8	2/3	0	1	0
0 Ryan Dunn	18	4	4	1	3	0	0	3	0	2/3	1/2	0/1	0	1	0
20 Rasheer Fleming	8	3	2	0	2	0	0	2	1	1/1	1/2	0/3	0	1	0
23 Jordan Goodwin	21	9	5	2	3	2	0	0	0	0/0	3/7	1/6	0	3	0
21 Nigel Hayes	14	2	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	0/0	1/3	0/1	0	0	0
11 Oso Ighodaro	22	3	3	2	1	1	3	1	1	1/3	1/1	0/0	0	5	0
10 Khaman Maluach	5	2	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/2	0/0	0	1	0
2 Nick Richards	8	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	1/2	0/0	0	0	0
14 Koby Brea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0