Kevin Durant became the 19th player to reach 26,000 career points in the Brooklyn Nets’ 109-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
Durant ranks 22nd overall on the all-time career points list (26,016). The 12-time All-Star needs 56 points to pass Kevin Garnett for 21st place.
According to some NBA betting sites, the Nets have the sixth-best odds to win the championship in 2023. A few sportsbooks are showing high odds for the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
Moving up 📈
Kevin Durant became the 19th player to reach 26,000 career points. pic.twitter.com/kDcZnyXa45
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 18, 2022
The Nets also need 379 points to pass John Havlicek for 20th place and 381 points to pass Paul Pierce for 19th place. Also, San Antonio Spurs superstar Tim Duncan retired with 26,496 points.
Barring a major injury, Durant will pass all of the aforementioned players in career points this season. Last season, in 55 games, the forward collected 1,643 points.
If the 15-year veteran stays healthy, he could pass Nets star George Gervin (26,595) for 17th, Dominique Williams (26,668) for 16th, and Oscar Robinson (26,710) for 15th on the all-time list.
Nets forward Kevin Durant is the 19th player in NBA history to reach 26,000 career points.
In 16 starts this season, Durant is averaging 30.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.8 blocks. The forward has scored 490 points so far this season.
Durant had a career-high 32 points with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2013-14 season, finishing with 2,593 points.
The two-time Finals MVP finished with 35 points, 8.0 boards and 3.0 assists in 39 minutes in the Nets’ win over the Trail Blazers. He finished 13-of-22 (59.1%) from the floor and 1-4 (25%) from beyond the arc.
Congratulations to Kevin Durant for becoming the 19th player in NBA history to score 26,000 career points. pic.twitter.com/8St73cvEIw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) November 18, 2022
With 0.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Royce O’Neal completed the night with a triple and scored on a tip-in to give Brooklyn a 109-107 win. In 38 minutes, the Nets forwards had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
Of course, Ben Simmons scored a season-high 15 points before fouling out with 24 seconds left.
“He was unbelievable tonight,” Kevin Durant said of Simmons after the win. He was able to take control of the game and bring us back into the game.
Durant also reached 25 points in 16 games this season, the most by an NBA player since Michael Jordan’s 1988-89 season.
However, as mentioned earlier, the Nets star needs to be healthy.
