When asked questions about destroying his former team for 40 points and 12 rebounds, Kevin Durant was measured. He was in no mood to say anything controversial Wednesday night.
KD didn’t have to. He let his play do the talking.
Per Elias Sports, Durant became the first player in the shot clock era to register 40 points on 16 shots or less, really a marvel of an accomplishment.
On a 13/16 shooting clip from the floor, Durant’s three missed shots on the night: A half-court buzzer-beater at the end of the first, a wild missed dunk in the second quarter and an off-balance three in the third. Everything else was money. He went 10/10 on shots that were contested.
“The efficiency level of this guy is just amazing,” Steve Kerr said following the 121-100 win over OKC. “He’s probably not going to win the MVP because there’s a lot of people out there who are playing extremely well, but I don’t think anybody is more efficient.”
In two games combined against the Thunder, Durant has scored 79 points on just 40 shots. That’s probably some type of basketball record, too. Both of Durant’s season-highs have come when playing Oklahoma City. That’s not a coincidence, no matter what Durant says.
“My teammates are doing a good job of freeing me up,” a noticeably subdued Durant said postgame. “I put the work in and prepared myself for every game, I just happened to knock them down.”
Two nights after ramping up their energy against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Warriors clearly still got up for this emotional test on Wednesday. Sadly, the air has seeped out of this rivalry’s balloon once Durant chose to make the Bay Area his home. If the playoffs started today, the Thunder would have to face the Spurs in the first round. A Western Conference Finals rematch would be a miraculous feat from Russell Westbrook and company.
But nonetheless, OKC will never be an ordinary opponent for Durant’s Warriors. KD was the face of the franchise for nine seasons with the Thunder and the Warriors respect his enhanced focus when the Thunder appear on the schedule.
“We still can’t deny the history of him with OKC,” said Steph Curry postgame, who scored 24 points. “Obviously we turned the page and when we face them it’s one of those games where the intensity is high and at all costs we want to get the win. We had a good night.”
Kerr is right that James Harden and Westbrook’s performances have captured the attention of MVP voters. But if the season ended today, Durant would set career-records in field goal percentage (53.7), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.7) — all while his points per game have barely dipped by just 2.5 ppg.
“He doesn’t need the ball and he still scores big numbers and blocks shots and rebounds and makes plays,” Kerr said. “He’s having a fantastic season, but it’s kind of going under the radar in some ways because of what a lot of other players are doing out there.”