Kevin Durant has reached numerous milestones during his illustrious NBA career, and on Wednesday, he has the opportunity to achieve another significant one in the arena where he spent eight seasons. Durant, now with the Phoenix Suns, needs just 26 points to become the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points.
The only players ahead of Durant on the career scoring list are LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wilt Chamberlain. Durant scored his first 17,566 regular-season points with the Oklahoma City Thunder, making this potential milestone even more special.
However, there’s a twist: Durant is listed as doubtful for the game due to a left ankle sprain. If he doesn’t play, he’ll have to wait for another opportunity to reach the 30,000-point mark.
The Suns come into the game on a rough patch, having lost three of their last four games, including a heartbreaking 121-119 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. In that game, Devin Booker surpassed Hall of Famer Walter Davis to become Phoenix’s career scoring leader.
The Thunder, on the other hand, have been on a roll, winning 24 of their last 28 games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a standout, leading the NBA in scoring with 32.5 points per game.
This matchup is the second of three games between the Suns and Thunder this season, with Oklahoma City winning the first game 99-83 on November 15. Durant missed that game due to a calf injury.
