In Tuesday's 119-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns scored 34 points (12-for-18, 3-for-4, 7-for-10 from the line), eclipsing 30,000 career points in the process.
Durant accomplished the feat in his 1,101st NBA game. Per the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got to 30K in the exact same number of games. Of all players in NBA history, Wilt Chamberlain got to 30K the fastest (941 games) while Michael Jordan got there in 960 games.
Durant is averaging 27.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists this season on 53 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. In what has been a difficult year for him injury wise (he has played in 40 games) the Suns are just 2-11 without him in the lineup.
At 30,008 career points, Durant is 1,411 behind Chamberlain and 1,552 behind Dirk Nowitzki. He needs 2,284 points to pass Michael Jordan for fifth all-time. Last season, Durant scored 2,032 points in 70 games. The most that he can play this season is 69. He could get near Chamberlain's number this season and pass both the Big Dipper and Nowitzki in 2025-26. He could get Jordan next season as well.
Durant is one of the great scorers that the NBA has ever seen, with a unique combination of height, length, athleticism and ball handling. He is also one of seven players to be selected as an All-Star 15 or more times, joining LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Shaquille O'Neal.
Congratulations on 30,000 points, KD.
Bol Bol put up 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks in Tuesday's loss, with Devin Booker registering 17 points and 9 assists on 6-for-13 shooting. Ja Morant's 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists (8-for-19, 10-for-12 from the line) led the Grizzlies, who at 36-17 have a 1.5 game lead on the Denver Nuggets for the second seed. The Suns, meanwhile, at 26-27 are a game behind the Golden State Warriors for 10th in the conference.
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