With his 17th point Friday, Kevin Durant officially became a top-10 scorer in NBA history. Passing Moses Malone, the Suns forward hit a layup late in the first half to log his 27,410th point, in his 1,003rd career game.
With his back to the basket on the right wing, Durant pivoted with a sweepthrough motion, facing up Reggie Jackson and driving hard toward the baseline. A jump stop shook Jackson, and Durant laid the ball off the glass with his right hand.
The 6-foot-11 Durant, playing his first full season in Phoenix and 16th overall, is averaging nearly a career-best 31.3 points on 51.8 FG%, 49.3 3P% and 89.6 FT% splits. For his career, Durant has posted 27.3 points, peaking at 32.0 during his 2014 Kia MVP campaign. He passed Elvin Hayes to claim 11th on Nov. 21 against the Blazers.
Carmelo Anthony is next – at 28,289 – with Shaquille O’Neal not far beyond that (28,596). If Durant maintains health and his current pace, Anthony should be in range at the end of January, with O’Neal on deck roughly 10 games later.
