Kevin Durant drains 3 points and moves to 7th on the career scoring list.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Kevin Durant passed Wilt Chamberlain for seventh place on the NBA’s career scoring list when he scored a 3-pointer in the third quarter of the Houston Rockets’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
Durant needed 15 points heading into the game to eclipse Chamberlain, who scored 31,419 points. Durant’s jumper with 7:57 left in the third gave him 31,422.
Dirk Nowitzki is sixth on the career list with 31,560 points.
Durant, 37, is in his 18th NBA season and is a 15-time All-Star. He also surpassed 8,000 career rebounds Friday night.
“No, it doesn’t surprise me when you see the work ethic and what he does on a daily basis,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said before Friday night’s game of Durant’s impending milestone.
Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said he remembers being impressed by Durant when he was a young player in Oklahoma City.
“Just a young Kevin Durant, scoring 30 points every night, and he continues to do that, which is amazing,” Splitter said. “At his age, of course, he’s probably at the end of his career, but to do this every night is just impressive.”
When this milestone was announced to fans at the Moda Center, Durant was rewarded with warm applause and a hug from Splitter.
