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Brooklyn Nets superstar forward Kevin Durant made more NBA history on Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors. This came as Durant passed yet another Hall of Famer on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
In other news, NBA Twitter has gotten into a debate surrounding “Shovegate,” following an incident in the LA Lakers versus Phoenix Suns game on Tuesday.
On that note, here is the latest news from around the NBA as of Nov. 24, 2022.
Kevin Durant makes more NBA history
Kevin Durant passed NBA legend Kevin Garnett to move up to the 18th spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list on Wednesday night against Toronto. Garnett (26,071 career points) was part of the Celtics' 'Big Three' which lead Boston to the Championship in 2008.
If he can stay healthy, Durant (26,074 career points) should pass at least a few more NBA greats this season. Durant is within 1,000 points of Hall of Famers John Havlicek, Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Next up for Durant to surpass is Havlicek at 26,395 career points.
Kevin Durant finished the game against the Raptors with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists as Brooklyn cruised to an easy 112-98 win.
The Nets were led by All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who finished with a game-high 29 points. Following the win, Brooklyn has improved to a 9-10 record and 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, while Toronto has fallen to 9-9 and eighth in the East.
Watch KD surpass KG:
NBA Twitter discusses 'Shovegate'
Near the end of the LA Lakers' 115-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Lakers veteran guard Patrick Beverley was ejected.
Beverley’s ejection came after he took a cheap shot at Suns center Deandre Ayton, who was talking trash while standing over Lakers guard Austin Reaves. Beverley hit Ayton from behind and knocked him over, leading to heated discussions on NBA Twitter about whether Beverley was right to do so.
The incident is now being called 'Shovegate':
Many were against Beverley’s actions, calling him crazy and saying he’s always trying to be difficult.
Others supported Beverley, calling him a great teammate.
There were also many that just made fun of Beverley and said that the Lakers would benefit from his possible suspension.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse calls out Gary Trent Jr.'s poor defense
Toronto Raptors shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. has struggled on both ends of the court this season. However, Trent’s regression on defense is what prompted Raptors coach Nick Nurse to question his fit with the franchise on Tuesday, via TSN's Josh Lewenberg:
"It's disappointing. We'd like to get him a lot more aggressive on defense this year," Nurse said.
"I would say that's been a, well, I don't know what the word is — it's been a little bit of a negative. He's capable of really getting after the ball and getting his hands on the ball a lot, and that's what we want him to do."
"We're gonna get him his shots and get him his points, but we want him to be a disruptor. He kinda fits us if he does that, and if he doesn't, he doesn't fit us," Nurse continued.
Nurse's comments come as Trent has an upcoming $18.8 million player option for the 2023-2024 season. Trent could potentially decline this option and become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Trent is averaging 16.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 40.7% and 31.1% from beyond the arc through 15 games. As previously mentioned, Toronto is now just 9-9 and eighth in the Eastern Conference. Raptors fans will have to wait and see if Nurse's comments can light a fire under Trent and the rest of the Raptors’ team.
Khris Middleton returns to Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA squad
The Milwaukee Bucks recalled All-Star Khris Middleton from the G League on Wednesday evening, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. This comes after the Bucks reassigned Middleton to the G League’s Wisconsin Herd earlier on Wednesday for practice/conditioning. Middleton has now gone through multiple practices with the Herd.
Middleton hasn’t played for Milwaukee this season due to his recovery from left wrist surgery. But with the Bucks recalling him so quickly, it appears that he is close to making his NBA return.
Milwaukee has gone 12-5 in Middleton’s absence, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Last season Middleton averaged 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 44.3% shooting. So the Bucks will surely receive a big-time offensive boost upon his return.
Bob Myers says the Warriors playing a lot of youth together wasn’t looking very good
At 9-10 and 11th in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors’ season hasn’t gone as expected. A lot of this had to do with the Warriors over-relying on youngsters like James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody early on in the season.
On Tuesday, Warriors General Manager Bob Myers spoke about the challenges of having a young, inexperienced bench during an interview with 95.7 The Game:
“You draft what you think is the best guy, then the challenge is to find a way to make them fit. And I think early on, at least in this season, we’ve found that playing a lot of youth together wasn’t looking very good,” Myers said.
The Warriors have since dialed back the minutes of their young guys and even sent James Wiseman to the NBA G League. As a result, the Warriors have gone 6-3 over their last nine games, following their 3-7 start.
Guess the Lakers players!
