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Kevin Durant brought his A-game to Barclays Center on Monday. He tallied 37 points on 15-of-23 shooting (65.2%) as the Brooklyn Nets beat the visiting Utah Jazz. The 33-year-old also had nine rebounds and eight assists in the contest as the Nets pulled off a dominant second half to beat the Jazz 114-106.
After the game, Durant had some nice things to say about Ja Morant, who will spearhead the challenge for the Brooklyn Nets' next regular-season opponents, the Memphis Grizzlies.
Morant is in the MVP conversation this season as he averages 27.6 ppg, 5.7 RPG, and 6.7 apg. These numbers have propped Memphis up to the second spot in the Western Conference standings.
The 22-year-old is also firmly in the running for Most Improved Player as he earned his first-ever All-Star selection nod this season.
When asked if Morant reminded him of anyone he had seen over his 14-year NBA career, Durant replied:
"He's a combination of players, I feel. The greatest players in our game can transform into anybody at any given point. I think Ja is on the way to that. When he's playing I see two or three, four different hall-of-famers in his game."
"From Iverson to, he might make a Jordan-like layup or he might run down the court like a Westbrook or D-Rose."
He added:
"His float game is up there with some of the best that's ever played. I don't want to gas him up too much since we're playing against him but the sky is the limit for him."
"His future is obviously bright. He makes everybody better playing against him - even opponents."
Kevin Durant goes past Jerry West on the NBA's all-time scoring list
Monday night was an extra-special affair for Kevin Durant. Not only did he guide Brooklyn to their 16th home win of the season, but he also surpassed Jerry West to climb to 22nd on the NBA's all-time points list.
Durant started the game needing 17 points to overtake West (25192). After scoring 15 in the first half, KD went past 'The Logo' with a 13-foot jumper at the 7:31 mark.
Durant now has 25213 career points, which is 66 shy of Reggie Miller's 25279 career mark.
Durant is averaging 29.6 ppg on 52.6% field-goal shooting this season. The Brooklyn Nets are 30-15 with the two-time Finals MVP in the lineup and 8-19 without him.
Guess the Lakers players!
