Kevin Durant had a wonderful game last night against the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. Over his 27 minutes of play, Durant notched 25 points and was dialed in on defense, blocking 3 shots.
It has been entertaining to watch Durant reacclimate to the NBA after missing all last season due to the injury he sustained in the 2019 Finals. KD has not played in an NBA game in 552 days, despite this, he still managed to shoot 9 for 16 from the field and only missed once from the foul line on 6 attempts.
25 points. 3 blocks.
📼 @KDTrey5 reminding us who he is on both ends tonight 📼 pic.twitter.com/65niI8BXFM
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 19, 2020
While Durant’s excellent play has been welcomed with praise, the preseason should always be taken with a grain of salt. Players do not necessarily play as physical or as hard as they do in the regular season and not nearly as hard as players do in the postseason. This seems like something the 4-time scoring champion is keenly aware of.
“I was out for 18 months not playing an NBA game, not playing against that physicality, the speed of the game,” Durant said in an interview with The Daily News. “So it’s gonna take me some time to get my feet up under me, get my legs right.”
The Nets beat Boston 113 to 89, providing a preview of their marquee matchup on Christmas day with the Celtics. Looked good in the game, providing wonderful paint defense, including a blocked shot on Boston center Daniel Theis, a possible sign of possible small-ball lineups to come out of the Brooklyn based roster.
If Durant is only going to get better then the Nets will certainly be a contender for an NBA Championship.
