Durant says bye! pic.twitter.com/ztAABRbCkC
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 28, 2017
OAKLAND–If the NBA season doesn’t truly begin until Christmas Day, then the conversation surrounding Kevin Durant’s Defensive Player of the Year candidacy is just getting started.
But if those first 34 games count for something –anything?– then Durant’s performance on the defensive end of the floor in Golden State’s 126-101 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday evening didn’t come out of nowhere. In fact, the soaring blocks and lockdown one-on-one play weren’t just a chance for the Warriors’ forward to build off of his effort in the closing moments against LeBron James on December 25, they were another signature example of the standard Durant has set as one of the game’s elite defensive players this season.
Durant entered Wednesday’s contest ranked second in the NBA with 2.31 points per game, behind only Indiana Pacers’ center Myles Turner who’s blocking shots at a 2.37 clip. Durant, though, held a 67-64 edge over Turner in total blocks this year, and he added to that advantage with a three-swat performance against the Jazz.
After the Warriors and Jazz slogged through a slow, and at times brutal first half, a Durant block in the middle of the third quarter gave life to a Golden State run and allowed the team to close the frame on a 29-8 run over the final seven minutes. With a last-second denial of Rodney Hood, Durant let his Warriors teammates sprint up the floor and start a fast break that didn’t slow down until the final horn sounded.
The Warriors wound up winning the third quarter by a 20-point margin, outscoring Utah 42-22 as Golden State woke up a crowd that was looking for a different source of energy as point guard Steph Curry watched from the sidelines with his injured ankle. While Curry could return as soon as this weekend, Golden State has lost just one game since the team’s primary offensive threat went down with an injury thanks in large part to the Warriors’ defensive surge.
Though head coach Steve Kerr’s squad has struggled through up-and-down offensive efforts with Curry out, Durant has now blocked at least two shots in 10 straight games, besting his career-high of six straight games with multiple blocks, while Golden State has run away with the league lead for team blocks.
With a front line that includes Durant, 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green and rookie center Jordan Bell, the Warriors came into Wednesday’s game with a 93-block lead over the next closest team in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs. And while Green and Bell have also been lauded for their defense throughout the year, all three of the Warriors’ top rim protectors have also been critical components on the other side.
In the midst of the Warriors’ run to close out the third quarter, Durant raced through the lane to flush down a dunk, Bell converted on a reverse layup and a fastbreak dunk and Green tossed down his own dunk off an assist from Bell.
Durant 🔨🔨👀 pic.twitter.com/hOqZ2RboU9
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 28, 2017
After stuffing a James block attempt and then ripping the ball from his grasp to seal up a Warriors’ win on Christmas Day, Durant didn’t miss a beat on Wednesday night as the Warriors won their NBA-best 28th game of the season.
Jordan Bell slam 🔔 pic.twitter.com/rkQjfbBVH1
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 28, 2017
