Personal milestone, team setback: Durant passes Chamberlain

Kevin Durant moved into seventh place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list on Friday night, but his milestone performance was overshadowed by defeat as the Houston Rockets lost 111–105 to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center, Sport360NG reports.

Durant finished with 30 points to take his career tally to 31,435, moving him past the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, who ended his career on 31,419. The 37-year-old now sits seventh on the all-time list, still some distance behind leader LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who tops the standings with 42,601 points.

Despite Durant’s scoring landmark, Portland controlled key moments late on to secure the win on home court and deny Houston a morale-boosting road victory.

Chamberlain, who passed away in 1999, remains one of the most dominant figures in NBA history. He is famously the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game, won two championships with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Lakers, and averaged a still-unmatched 50.4 points per game during the 1961–62 season. He retired in 1973 as the league’s leading scorer.

Reflecting on Chamberlain’s legacy before the game, Durant admitted the scale of the achievement still defies belief.

“You see the numbers and you just can’t comprehend somebody averaging 50 a game with 25 rebounds,” Durant said.
“To even be in the top 10 with him is amazing, and to have the chance to move past him is pretty special.”

Elsewhere around the league, Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered decisive defensive plays in the final minute as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Lakers 105–101 in Los Angeles, sealing a fifth win in seven games.

Stephen Curry recorded 27 points and a season-high 10 assists as the Golden State Warriors cruised to a 137–103 home victory over the Sacramento Kings.

The Oklahoma City Thunder also produced a dramatic comeback, overturning a 21-point second-half deficit to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117–116 on the road.

NBA All-Time Leading Scorers

1. LeBron James* – 42,601

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 38,387

3. Karl Malone – 36,928

4. Kobe Bryant – 33,643

5. Michael Jordan – 32,292

6. Dirk Nowitzki – 31,560

7. Kevin Durant* – 31,435

8. Wilt Chamberlain – 31,419

9. Shaquille O’Neal – 28,596

10. James Harden* – 28,563

*Active players