Durant to sit last game, concedes scoring title
Kevin Durant’s reign as the NBA’s scoring champion is over.
Needing 70 points tonight against the Bucks in the Thunder’s finale, Durant will instead sit the game, posting on his Instagram “if you disappointed I didn’t try to go for the scoring title, oh well!!”
Durant won three consecutive scoring titles coming into this season, putting him in company with only six other players — Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan, Neil Johnston, Bob McAdoo and George Gervin. A fourth would’ve narrowed that list to just Wilt and MJ.
Still, scoring title or not, what an incredible season from Durant. He finishes averaging 28.1 points on 51.0 percent shooting, 41.6 from 3 and 90.5 from the line, putting him in the elite 50-40-90 club.
“It was a goal I set before the season,” Durant said at shootaround today. “To see it come alive is something I’m really proud of.”
Durant also finishes with a True Shooting Percentage of 64.7, which leads the league among players with 10 or more field goal attempts a game.
The 28.1 is Durant’s second highest mark of his career, only behind the 30.1 he averaged in 2010.
“I definitely don’t want to sit out tonight, but our medical staff and coaches think it’s a good idea,” KD said.
Carmelo Anthony wins the scoring title playing 14 fewer games and still taking 56 more shots than Durant. KD does lead the league in total scoring for a fourth straight year though, putting him with Wilt and MJ in that category.
In April, with Melo making a major scoring push, Durant instead averaged 26.1 points on 15.9 shot attempts with 6.4 assists and 7.9 rebounds. Pretty clear where KD’s focus was there.
Durant sitting tonight means it’ll break a streak of 209 straight games. KD hasn’t missed a game since Dec. 3, 2010.
Also out tonight for OKC: Perk, Martin, Fisher and Collison. Russell Westbrook will keep his streak alive though as he will start and play only 10 minutes or so. Starters will be Westbrook, Thabo, Jones, Ibaka and Thabeet.
KEVIN DURANT
