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Kevin Durant had 28 points to become the eighth player in NBA history to score 31,000 career points as the Houston Rockets earned a 117-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Durant now joins an exclusive club that includes Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Friday’s game was Durant’s first game against his former team since a blockbuster seven-team trade that sent Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to the Suns. Durant missed Houston’s 114-92 win at Phoenix on Nov. 24 for personal reasons.
Amen Thompson scored a game-high 31 to help the Rockets earn their fifth win in six games.
Durant hit two free throws for his first points of the night and hit a mid-range jumper midway through the first quarter to help the 15-time All-Star reach the historic milestone. Durant, who did not play in the fourth quarter, has 31,024 career points.
The Rockets trailed by nine points early, but used a 44-point second quarter, fueled by 17 points from Durant, to take the lead.
Houston led by 11 with about 7 ½ minutes left in the third before using a 16-2 run to make it 92-67 with about two minutes left in the quarter. Thompson had six points during that stretch and Durant and Reed Sheppard both made 3-pointers for Houston. Phoenix had five turnovers during that spurt.
Brooks had 23 points to lead the Suns, who lost for the third time in four games.
Houston played without Alperen Sengun, who missed the game due to illness. Steven Adams started in his place and had four points and eight rebounds.
The Rockets played a video tribute to Brooks during pregame presentations and one to Green, who was out with a hamstring injury, between the first and second quarters. Both players received warm ovations from the crowd at the end of their videos.
Green spent his first four seasons in Houston after being taken second overall by the club in the 2021 draft and Brooks spent the previous two seasons with the Rockets.
Following
Suns: Visit the Timberwolves Monday night.
Rockets: Visit the Mavericks on Saturday night.
Associated Press reporting.
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