Kevin Durant is back, and the rest of the NBA just has to deal with it.
The Thunder beat the Pistons 103-87 behind 34 points from Durant. Not only did he come out smoking offensively, scoring 15 points in the first quarter, he also pulled down 13 rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked three shots. The Thunder destroyed the Pistons even with a rare poor performance by Russell Westbrook (14 points, four assists, four rebounds, 11 turnovers).
MORE: 5 bold predictions for the Warriors | Anthony Davis injured again
This efficient all-around night came in KD's third game back from a hamstring injury. That ailment hampered what he hoped to be his comeback season after missing 55 games in 2014-15. He hasn't missed a beat since returning, scoring 27 and 30 points in wins against Utah and Brooklyn, respectively.
Durant is off to a great start, even by his own elite standards. His points (28.2), rebounding (7.0), blocks (1.4) are all above his career averages. And he's doing some of the best shooting of his career, hitting 53.3 percent from the field and 47.5 percent from 3-point range.
It's becoming quite clear that the only way to slow Durant down is to keep him off the court.
Tweet of the Night
You would think a Duke guy would know better than this.
What possessed JJ Redick to jump with Anthony Davis? https://t.co/emHGx0Pljj
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) November 28, 2015Stud of the Night
A lot of nominees here, including a 50-point night from James Harden, but defending MVP Stephen Curry gets the nod. Curry scored 19 of his 41 points in the first quarter as the Warriors dominated them Suns 135-116. He also added eight assists and six rebounds and his team improved to 17-0.
Dud of the Night
The Wizards "won" this dubious honor as a team, shooting just 32.1 percent and trailing by as many as 38 points in a game they lost 111-78 to the Celtics. This quote by Marcin Gortat pretty much explains it all.
Gortat: "We are getting paid a lot of money to play better, not the BS that we’re showing out there right now."
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) November 28, 2015Looking Ahead (all times Eastern)
Hawks (11-7) at Spurs (13-3) 8:30 p.m.: The Hawks have earned comparisons to the Spurs for their emphasis on team ball instead of reliance on one or two stars. On Saturday they'll get a chance to match up against the real thing.
Kings (6-11) at Warriors (17-0) 10:30 p.m.: Golden State will try to defend its spotless record at home against Sacramento, which lost all four meetings to the Warriors last year by at least 18 points apiece. So they're due right?