Kevin Durant becomes 44th player to join 20,000 point club

FILE: Kevin Durant (Photo: Kevin Durant/Facebook)

OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant became the 44th player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points Wednesday night.

Durant reached the milestone on a pull-up jumper from the left wing at the 1:41 mark of second quarter. The Warriors announced his accomplishment on the main scoreboard and Durant received a standing ovation, shaking his head in acknowledgment while still very much in game mode.

The NBA Finals MVP returned from a three-game absence with a strained right calf and scored 25 points in the first half against the Clippers — KD’s biggest half of the season. He came in needing exactly 25 points for 20,000.

Durant, who had a four-point play during the second quarter on the way to 14 points in the period, is at 29 the second-youngest player behind LeBron James and the first to reach the 20,000 mark as a member of the Warriors.