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Chris Mannix: I was preaching that Fred VanVleet is going to matter. Forget the numbers. Last couple of years he has not been a high-efficiency guy. He's still not a high-efficiency guy, but he is a steady, reliable guy out there. He's going to give you 30-ish minutes per game and be able to initiate the offense. And him being there, I've heard Kevin Durant talk about this, it allows everybody else to slot back into their usual positions. Amen Thompson doesn't need to be the point guard on this team. Reed Sheppard doesn't need to be the starting point guard on this team. Kevin Durant doesn't need to have the ball in his hands initiating some of the offense. It just allows everybody to be themselves.
ESPN: When the Thunder won in 2025 and had the parade in downtown Oklahoma City, was there any part of you that was happy for the community to experience that? Kevin Durant: Most definitely. I mean, when we lost in 2012, we almost had like a small parade. So many people came and welcomed us back home and showed us so much love and congratulated us on a great season. I knew at that moment, if the city ever wins a championship, the amount of people that's going to show up for this parade and the energy they're going to have for this parade is going to be insane. ... I wish our [Thunder] team could have been the one to do it because we were young and we showed we could. But I felt the sense of pride of being an alumni of the Thunder, seeing this team win as well, because I felt that's the evolution of what we did. I felt like Sam Presti hit his final form and figured out the best way for him to be. And Shai and Jalen Williams, I just felt like they all hit that mark, and we kind of laid the foundation on what it meant to be successful young players in this league, and they built upon that.
Against the Timberwolves, Stephen Curry pushed his total to 115 points through the first four games of a season, the most by a player aged 38 or older, passing Kevin Durant (94 in 2026-27).
Varun Shankar: Durant: "Your first points in the league is a very, very special thing and something they probably won't ever forget, his family won't ever forget. So small gesture, having the ball and something to remember that this day by is pretty cool."
Will Guillory: Final: Rockets 132, Bucks 100 VanVleet 24 pts (season-high), 6 rebs, 5 assts Thompson 23 pts (10-16 FG) Durant 18 pts (5-9 FG) Rockets improve to 5-0 to begin the season after another blowout win, despite missing Alpi, Smart and Steven Adams. Fred VanVleet had his best performance of the season after catching fire in the 3rd quarter. Clint Capela was really good off the bench. This team is extremely locked in right now.
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Ira Winderman: Antetokounmpo's steal was the 1,000th of his career. That makes him the 12th player in league history with 1,000 steals, 1,000 blocked shots and at least 21,000 points, joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the lone active players in that group.
"We've heard these stories about Kevin Durant and his workouts and you're starting to see it firsthand about how detailed and how meticulous he is about how he approaches every day. Do you have a story for the fans of maybe something you didn't know about what he does that you're like, I may have to take that?" Fred VanVleet: "Every day just watching him is a treat. It is a pleasure to watch him work out, it is a pleasure watching him work in the weight room, on the training table, his routine on the court. But I am just jealous. It is like his workout looks like how it looks in the game. He don't miss, bro. As a short guy, I just can't imagine never being bothered by a contest, never caring about who is guarding me. I saw him shoot a jumper over Victor Wembanyama like he was 5'10". It is just nothing that bothers him. Every time he misses, I am surprised. So just an absolute pleasure to be able to watch him on a daily basis, one of the all-time greats, obviously."
Kevin Durant: “Reed is standing in front of the ball. Just a steady force on the offensive side of the ball, bringing the ball up, and defenses got to respect him out to the three-point line. But I think he’s doing a great job getting hands on basketballs on deflections, standing in front of his man, not fouling. So yeah, Reed is playing great ball and we’re going to need that from him going forward.”
Yaxel Lendeborg became the first Warrior with a 30/10/5 game with 12 made free throws since Kevin Durant on Dec 23, 2018, doing it in a 134-114 win over the Nuggets.
Will Guillory: Kevin Durant on the Jalen Williams injury from yesterday: "I just feel for him. This is a brotherhood. We compete at the highest level against each other. We keep that on the floor. But to see one of your brothers in this thing go down with such a gruesome injury, especially at this age and having an injury history last year, (I'm) just thinking about him. Thinking about his teammates, that's tough to see. But like I said, this is a brotherhood. We want everybody healthy. We want everybody on the court doing what they love to do. He knows he's got so much support around him. He's got so much love around the league. I can't wait to see him get back."
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Rockets defeat Hawks 121-114 behind 22 points from Kevin Durant, 19 points off the bench from Reed Sheppard. Jalen Johnson had 26 points, nine rebounds and 16 assists in defeat for Atlanta.
Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson couldn't quite explain what happened after sealing a 114-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs by swatting away a last-gasp attempt at the rim by Victor Wembanyama. In the aftermath of the game-saving play, Rockets forward Kevin Durant scurried over in excitement to deliver Thompson a message Friday as the sellout crowd at Moody Center groaned in disbelief. "I said, 'What the f--- is wrong with him, thinking he was just going to lay it up so easily?'" Durant recalled. "I don't know," Thompson shot back.
Oh No He Didn' NBA Courtside: Kevin Durant on Amen Thompson game saving block on Wemby: "Wemby caught the ball and just thought he'd be tall man and just try to rise over top but twin is just a freak athlete... What a game saving block"
