OAKLAND — Even with three All-Stars sidelined due to injuries on Wednesday night, the Warriors were still in good hands. Four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant led Golden State to a 117-106 win over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.
After the victory, Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised Durant’s advanced approach to the game.
“Kevin is so smart that he feels what he needs to do from one night to the next,” Kerr said. “I thought the last couple games we needed every shot he took. Tonight was a different feel. He is just such a smart player that as he goes he just sort of gauges the game, determines what’s needed, and that’s what he provides.”
Last game resulted in a six-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Durant posted 39 points on a season-high 32 shot attempts. On Wednesday night, he finished with 26 points on only 19 attempts.
As Kerr attested, part of Durant’s genius is feeling the rhythm of each game. He repeated that thought postgame.
“I think last game I was just trying to shoot to get us going, and get me going, I was struggling a bit,” Durant said. “Tonight, I was just trying to pick and choose my spots. Just play with a calm pace, and knock them in, and like I said my teammates fed off of that, and I fed off their energy as well. I think it was a good balance tonight for us.”
With his All-Star counterparts currently out of the lineup, Durant continues to play and lead the only way he knows how: by example.
He isn’t overly animated or vocal. He won’t ream out a teammate to prove a point. This past November, Durant even claimed he doesn’t view himself as a leader.
“I am not trying to tell everybody what to do every single play,” Durant said. “That’s not how I get down. I don’t think people respond well to that. I just try to tell guys what I see at the moment, and if we need to correct something, correct it at the moment but not let it simmer a couple plays until it boils over into something bad.”
“I think that’s how we approach the game here— try to be positive and encouraging.”
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