Kevin Durant etched his name higher in the NBA history books on Saturday night, surpassing the late Kobe Bryant for the fifth-most 30-point games of all time during the Houston Rockets’ 125-115 road loss to the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer poured in a game-high 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting (including 2-of-8 from three) in 37 minutes, marking his 432nd career game with at least 30 points.
This milestone pushes Durant past Bryant’s 431 such performances, cementing his place among the league’s most prolific scorers. Remarkably, he’s already notched 23 games of 30+ points in just 56 appearances this season—nearly half his outings. At his current pace, Durant remains a nightly scoring threat, averaging 26.2 points per game—virtually identical to his 26.6 PPG last season with the Phoenix Suns before the offseason trade to Houston.
The Road to the Top: How Many More 30-Point Games Needed? Durant’s climb up the 30-point leaderboard now looks like this:
- Needs 4 more to pass Karl Malone (435) for 4th place
- Needs 85 more to catch Wilt Chamberlain (516) for 3rd
- Needs 131 more to surpass Michael Jordan (562) for 2nd
- Needs 144 more to overtake LeBron James (currently the all-time leader in 30-point games)
Given Durant’s sustained elite scoring at age 37, passing Malone this season is realistic, and climbing higher remains within reach over the next few years.
All-Time Scoring List: Closing In on MJ Durant also continues his pursuit on the career points leaderboard, sitting sixth all-time with 32,038 points. He needs just 255 more to surpass Michael Jordan (32,292) and move into fifth place—another achievable milestone in the near term, especially if he maintains his current 26+ PPG clip.
The 16-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, four-time scoring champion, and 2013-14 MVP has shown no signs of slowing down. His efficiency, length, and versatility keep defenses guessing, even as he approaches his late 30s.
Contract Outlook: One More Year in Houston Durant is under contract with the Rockets for the 2026-27 season before becoming an unrestricted free agent ahead of 2027-28 (he’ll turn 39 that September). Houston acquired him in the offseason trade, betting on his scoring prowess to elevate their young core and push for deeper playoff runs in the loaded Western Conference.
Saturday’s performance—despite the loss—reminded everyone why Durant remains one of the most feared scorers in league history. The 30-point milestone against Miami was just another chapter in a legendary career that’s still adding pages at an astonishing rate.