Another Milestone! Kevin Durant Just 17 Points Away from Surpassing Dirk Nowitzki; Could Overtake Jordan This Season

On January 19, as the Houston Rockets hosted the Pelicans, Kevin Durant was on the brink of another career milestone. With 31,544 career regular-season points, he needed just 17 more to surpass Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki (31,560) and move up to sixth on the NBA all-time scoring list.

Since joining the Rockets, Durant has continued to climb the scoring ranks. Earlier this month, he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain to reach seventh on the list. He still trails fifth-ranked Michael Jordan (32,292 points) by roughly 700 points, but at his current scoring pace, there’s a strong chance he could surpass Jordan this season.

Against the Pelicans, scoring 17 points is highly likely. Durant has played 37 games this season, only three of which saw him score under 17, while he has 14 games of 30+ points. In the first matchup this season against New Orleans, he scored 32 points in an overtime loss. Durant has been particularly hot in January, averaging 28.7 points with 50% shooting, scoring at least 17 points in all nine games this month.

Despite Durant’s individual brilliance, the Rockets have struggled as a team, going 4-5 in January, including a 1-4 slump, leaving their overall record at 24-15, fifth in the Western Conference. The Pelicans’ situation is far worse—they are 10-34, bottom of the league, with just two wins in their last 14 games.

New Orleans does feature forwards Zion and Murphy, each averaging 22 points, but weak defense has limited their team’s offensive potential. The Pelicans allow over 122 points per game (28th in the NBA) and nearly 15 three-pointers per game (29th), giving Durant ample space to operate.