Kevin Durant is the first player since Michael Jordan to begin season with 13 straight 25-point games
On Sunday, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant became the first NBA player to begin a season with 13 consecutive 25-point games since Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
While Durant was unable to play against LeBron James on Sunday due to the four-time MVP’s injuries, the forward still set an interesting record that Jordan himself would admire.
Per multiple NBA betting sites, Kevin Durant has the seventh-best odds to win MVP in 2023. A few sportsbooks are showing better odds for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Joel Embiid, and other players.
Kevin Durant is the 1st player to begin a season with 13 straight 25-point games since Michael Jordan began the 1988-89 season with 16 straight. pic.twitter.com/aV16eNZCvZ
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 12, 2022
Through the Bulls’ first 16 games of the 1988-89 season, Jordan scored at least 20 points per game. During that stretch, the guard dropped 52 points on the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets.
Jordan had 12 games with 30-plus points generated over the course of those 16 starts as well.
So far this season, Durant is averaging 30.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game. If the two-time NBA champ maintains his 30-point average, it will be the first time since the 2013-14 season.
Kevin Durant is the first player since Michael Jordan (1988-89) to start a season with 13 straight 25-point games
Following the loss, the 12-time All-Star was asked about LeBron’s greatness and positive impact on the NBA. “He’s a top-3 player to ever play the game,” said Durant.
Durant has not faced LeBron since Dec. 2018. “It’s cool, we’re still relevant at an old age that people still want to watch us play,” the forward added.
Along with Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant joins Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Rick Barry as the only five players in league history to score 25-plus points in each of their team’s first 14-plus games of a season.
Kevin Durant is now one of five players to score 25+ points in each of their team’s first 14+ games of a season in NBA history — per Nets PR.
The other four players: Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Rick Barry, and Michael Jordan.
— Chris Milholen (@CMilholenSB) November 14, 2022
Moreover, in the Nets’ 116-103 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant ended his performance with 31 points, 9 boards, and 7 assists in 38 minutes of action. He finished 8-of-16 (50%) shooting from the floor and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from beyond the arc.
Additionally, in 14 of Durant’s appearances this season, the forward scored at least 30 points in seven games. Last Thursday, in the Nets’ 112-85 win over the New York Knicks, the two-time Finals MVP earned his first triple-double of the season.
On Nov. 10, Kevin Durant amassed 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in 35 minutes played.
In Sunday night’s loss, the Lakers led by 16 with less than four minutes remaining in the third. However, with 8:27 left of the fourth quarter, the Nets rallied to cut their deficit to 91-87 on two free throws by Durant.
But then the Lakers went on a 15-2 run, giving the Nets their seventh loss of the season.
Source: Basketball Insider
