The Rockets beat the Pelicans tonight, 119-110, after a special performance from Jabari Smith Jr. to lead all scorers with 32 points. But it was overshadowed by Kevin Durant, who surpassed Dirk Nowitzki tonight in the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Durant scored 18 points and also had six rebounds and eight assists on a night where he only needed 16 points to tie Nowitzki’s record (31,560 points). Despite struggling in the field tonight (5-18 from the field, 27.8 FG%), Durant successfully made history, putting him sixth all-time in the NBA’s history books (31,562 points).
He’s now only behind Michael Jordan (fifth on the list, 32,292 points), Kobe Bryant (fourth, 33,643 points), Karl Malone (third, 36,928 points), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (second, 38,387 points), and LeBron James (first, 42,703 points).
The 37-year-old forward was extremely humble about it and addressed his accomplishment on the sidelines post-game as well as during the press conference.
“It means a lot. Dirk is somebody I look up to. Somebody I competed against and watched daily. Just grateful to be amongst the greats, doing it here at home felt great. Thank you for all the love and support from everyone in the stands,” said Durant on the sidelines after the game.
During the postgame press conference, Durant resonated with similar sentiments but also added on what he felt about the next milestone on the list for him: Michael Jordan’s record.
“Yeah. It means a great deal to be around the league for this long. I mean, it takes you to play a thousand plus games for you to be in this category at least. I’m so grateful for all of the people who have helped me play this many games, coaches, friends, and family who invested in my game.”
“You know how it goes. Without them, without the village, I wouldn’t be here. I don’t do anything on my own. Never had, never will. So, it’s great to kind of celebrate that with them. You know, get texts and calls from friends and family already, and just being so excited for me.”
“So, to have a quick little celebration with people that watch me from the stands and people that have followed my career once I got into the NBA, to celebrate with them a little bit is pretty cool.”
“To be up there, you know, with Dirk, like I said earlier, somebody I look up to. The idol I competed against. We had some great battles. He is always supportive of my career and my game. So to be up there with a legend like that is just insane.”
“And be right underneath Michael Jordan, it’s crazy, man. I always dreamt about being in the league and being a superstar-level player and all of this, but you never know exactly how your career is going to go.”
“So I’m happy it’s going this way. I want to continue to keep stacking, keep climbing up the charts, just to see how I finish. You know, it’s been amazing thus far.”
Durant currently needs only 730 points to tie Michael Jordan, who is next on the list with 32,292 points for his career. Considering that Durant is averaging 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists so far this season while shooting 51.0% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc, the next milestone should be less than 30 games away.
Therefore, if all goes as planned, somewhere in March, Durant is expected to also surpass Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list.
Dirk Nowitzki Reacts To Kevin Durant Surpassing His Record
Following the game, the Rockets played a message for Durant from the Mavericks legend Nowitzki. He also poked fun at Durant, saying he’s not super happy to see himself get surpassed, and also pointed to the long-standing myth about Kevin Durant’s height.
“Not super happy about him passing me, but, no, seriously, to me, he’s one of the purest, smoothest scorers the game has ever seen. A seven-footer basically, which he says he’s not. I think he’s a seven-footer with a two-guard’s game.”
“The shotmaking, the off-the-dribble stuff, the off-balance stuff, I mean, there’s nothing you can do to stop him one-on-one. He can always get a great shot up, that’s just how skilled he is, how long he is, and how good his release is.”
“It’s been incredible to watch his career. As I said, he’s one of the purest scorers this game has ever seen. So congrats, KD, keep it going, move up a couple more spots, and keep it up, good luck,” concluded Nowitzki.
The Rockets improved to 25-15 following this win against the Pelicans. They will face the Spurs at home in their next game on January 20.
