So far, the marriage between Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets has gone as smoothly as both sides could have hoped.
Durant scored 28 points in Houston’s 117-98 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday and became just the eighth player in NBA history to eclipse the 31,000-point mark.
Durant’s next chance to add to his career total will come Saturday night when the Rockets visit the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams will be on the second night of a back-to-back set.
“It means a lot,” the 37-year-old Durant, who is in his first season with Houston, said of his points milestone. “Grateful I’m still here in the league at this age playing and contributing to a team. Just grateful for that. I’ve had so many great teammates, coaches that have invested in me, got me better.
“They spent time away from their families to help me get better at basketball,” he added. “I know that was their job, but it’s still incredible for them to invest that much into me. I think about that more so than anything else. Just the long journey it takes to stay around the league this long.”
Durant hasn’t just been contributing. He has led the way for the Rockets to become a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. He is averaging 25.2 points per game and shooting 50.2% from the floor and 38.6% from 3-point range.
“It’s incredible,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “I played against him his rookie year and a few times after. I remember him coming in, and they try to guard him the same way now, trying to be physical and take him off the ball and he’s learned, adjusted and to be able to do this with the longevity at this high level, efficiency as well, incredible career and long way to go.”
As brilliant as Durant has been this season, he’s had plenty of help in a deep Rockets team. Amen Thompson had a team-high 31 points on Friday. Jabari Smith added 16 and Reed Sheppard chipped in 10 points, six assists and five rebounds off the bench.
Alperen Sengun did not play due to an illness, and it’s unclear if he’ll suit up on Saturday.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, are still in search of consistency. But with Anthony Davis back from a calf strain, the team has shown signs of life over the last week.
Dallas won three games in a row before a 132-111 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Davis, who was held to 1-for-9 shooting from the field for two points in the loss, said he expects to be in the lineup on Saturday to complete the back-to-back.
“I hold myself accountable,” Davis said Friday. “But we don’t have time. I don’t have time to dwell on it. We have a 24-hour turnaround and we play tomorrow. Gotta get prepared for tomorrow.”
Despite the bad result on Friday, there have been encouraging signs for Dallas as of late, especially the play of Ryan Nembhard. He had 28 points and 10 assists on Monday against the Denver Nuggets and followed it with 15 and 13, respectively, on Wednesday vs. the Miami Heat. Nembhard scored 10 points against the Thunder.
Dallas will play three of its next four games at home.
