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Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant continues to shine in the NBA, but he is playing through a “little tweak” to his shoulder.
Durant maintained his MVP-calibre start to the season in Sunday’s 120-96 rout of former team the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 33 points.
Despite the issue, two-time NBA champion Durant has scored at least 20 points in all 14 of his games in 2021-22 – one short of Karl Malone’s record (15) set in 1997-98.
After making nine of his 17 shots from the field while collecting eight rebounds and dishing out four assists, Durant said of his shoulder: “It’s solid.
“A little sore here and there, but I played, didn’t get in the way too much. Keep getting treatment and take it a day at a time.”
Nets head coach Steve Nash allayed concerns of Durant’s shoulder post-game in Oklahoma.
“He’s got a little tweak. But the ball still goes in the hole so I think he’s hanging in there,” Nash said.
“I don’t think it’s the type of thing that we expect to get worse so he’s kind of playing through it, so it’s not terrible.”
It was a reunion for Durant, who spent eight seasons in Oklahoma City and was crowned NBA MVP before joining the Warriors in 2016.
Durant – who is 9-4 in games against his former teams – was booed by the crowd throughout the contest.
“You think about the foundation and how you built yourself up as a pro, and this is definitely the spot for me,” he said. “It taught me all about what it means to be a pro.
“The people here and the organisation really guided me as a young player. That set the foundation for where I am today. There are a lot of great memories coming back, seeing a lot of people. It’s good to see folks here and play in front of the crowd … I had a good time.”
It was also a reunion for Nets team-mate James Harden, who started his career with the Thunder prior to moving to the Houston Rockets.
Harden – who finished with 16 points and 13 assists – and Durant were part of the Thunder team that progressed to the 2012 NBA Finals.
“It’s crazy how stuff happens,” Durant said. “You never thought when James got traded — I didn’t know what the future would hold.
“For us to come back around on the same team as we got older is pretty sweet. … We helped build this thing. It’s good to come in here and see what it is today.”
