Kevin Durant is staring down yet another milestone in what's already been a Hall of Fame career, and if history is any indication, he could make it happen Sunday night in front of a home crowd at Toyota Center.
The Rockets star sits at 31,544 career regular-season points - just 17 shy of passing Dirk Nowitzki for sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. That’s rarefied air, and Durant’s been climbing the ladder with purpose.
Earlier this month, he moved past Wilt Chamberlain to take over the No. 7 spot, doing it in a road loss to Portland. Now, with Dirk in his sights, KD’s got a chance to add another legendary name to the list of greats he’s surpassed.
And let’s be honest - 17 points? That’s well within reach for a player who’s made a career out of making scoring look effortless.
Durant has played 37 games in his first season with Houston, and he’s scored fewer than 17 points just three times. Flip that around, and you’ll see he’s cleared the 30-point mark 14 times already - including a 32-point effort the last time the Rockets faced the Pelicans, a tough overtime loss on the road.
Lately, he’s been even more locked in. January has been his most productive scoring month of the season, averaging 28.7 points on 50% shooting through nine games.
He’s hit the 17-point mark in every one of those contests. So if you’re heading to the arena Sunday night, odds are you’ll be watching a bit of history unfold.
Now, while Durant’s been rolling, the Rockets as a team have hit a bit of turbulence. They’re 4-5 in January and just 1-4 over their last five - with all four of those losses coming against teams with losing records. That recent skid has dropped them to 24-15 overall, currently sitting fifth in the Western Conference standings.
They’ll be looking to get back on track against a struggling Pelicans squad that’s had a rough go of it this season. At 10-34, New Orleans holds the worst record in the league and has dropped 12 of its last 14 games.
Despite solid scoring from Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III - both averaging 22 points per game - the Pelicans’ defense has been a major issue. They’re allowing over 122 points per game, ranking 28th in the NBA, and giving up nearly 15 threes per night, which puts them near the bottom of the league in that category as well.
It’s the kind of matchup that sets the stage for Durant to do what he does best - score in bunches and make history while doing it.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. local time. One note to watch: Rockets forward Tari Eason is listed as a game-time decision as he continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered last week.
All eyes will be on KD, though. Seventeen points is all he needs to move past Dirk. And if recent form is any indication, it’s not a matter of if - it’s when.