Kevin Durant's season-high 51-point outburst against the Toronto Raptors placed the four-time scoring champion in elite company.
The Golden State Warriors' 131-128 overtime loss Thursday marked the third game in a row that Durant scored 44 or more points. He dropped 49 on the Orlando Magic on Nov. 26 and had 44 two nights prior versus the Sacramento Kings.
The last player to score 44-plus points in at least three straight outings was Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who reached that number in four consecutive games from March 16 through March 23, 2007.
Only eight players in NBA history have pulled off the feat during the regular season: Durant, Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Bob Love, and Rick Barry. Allen Iverson and Jerry West accomplished the feat in the playoffs.
Durant fell three points shy of his career high of 54 points Thursday, which he set on Jan. 17, 2014 against the Warriors as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He also contributed 11 rebounds and six assists in 43 minutes of action in the loss to Toronto, making him the third player ever to record a 50-10-5 game for multiple teams, joining Chamberlain and LeBron James. Thursday marked the second time in Durant's career that he's put up 50 north of the border, as he scored 51 with the Thunder against the Raptors on March 21, 2014.
The 30-year-old forward is now averaging 30.1 points (second in the NBA) on 51.3 percent shooting for the season, along with 7.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks.
