Kevin Durant is not slowing down.
The 37-year-old scored 27 points in Houston’s 123-122 buzzer-beater win over the Miami Heat on Saturday night, passing Michael Jordan to move into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. When asked about the milestone afterwards, Durant was already thinking about the next one.
“Four more to go,” he said with a smile.
Durant entered the fourth quarter with 21 points and hit a three-pointer from the right corner with less than five minutes left to pull within two of Jordan. He knocked down another three from nearly the same spot on his next trip down the floor to push his total to 32,294 points, two more than Jordan. He briefly lifted his arms as the home crowd erupted.
The Rockets won the game on a tip-in by Amen Thompson at the buzzer after Durant’s potential game-winner missed in the final seconds. Thompson, who was four years old when Durant entered the league as a rookie, reflected on watching the moment up close.
“That’s legendary,” Thompson said. “Just being on a team with greatness like that, it’s inspiring.”
Durant spoke about what Jordan means to him.
“MJ has so many great moments. He just personifies iconic, god-level everything that I believe in,” Durant said.
Earlier this season, Durant had already passed Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki. Next on the list is Kobe Bryant, who sits fourth all-time with 33,643 points.
Coach Ime Udoka said the team made sure to honor the moment.
“Passing Michael Jordan is obviously a huge accomplishment and we celebrated that with him,” Udoka said.
Durant is in his 19th season, his first in Houston after a blockbuster trade from Phoenix last summer. He missed the entire 2019-20 season with an injury. The 16-time All-Star is a four-time scoring champion, two-time Finals MVP, one-time league MVP and two-time NBA champion.
As always, Durant kept the focus on what comes next.
“It’s hard to take in when you’re still on the journey, when you just care about getting better,” he said. “I’ve got to get up and come to work tomorrow.”
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