Top 3 Kevin Durant 40-point games ranked by efficiency
Kevin Durant has produced countless memorable moments during his career, including multiple high-scoring nights. In fact, since Kevin Durant entered the NBA as the second overall pick in 2007, he has amassed 65 games where he has scored 40 or more points.
Durant is seen as one of the most offensively gifted players in NBA history, especially for a player of his size. To this day, at age 34, he is still a top-10 talent in the NBA. However, not all high-scoring games are equal. Some are courtesy of high usage load on the offensive end, while others are courtesy of incredible feats of efficiency.
Here are Kevin Durant's top three 40-or-more point games of his career in terms of efficiency.
#1 Kevin Durant vs. OKC Thunder
On Jan. 18, 2017, Durant dropped 40 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks on his former team. During the contest, Durant shot 5-of-7 from the perimeter and 13-of-16 from the field, giving him an 81.3 field-goal percentage.
Durant also went to the line on 10 occasions, shooting 90% on his free throws to add further pressure onto the Thunders' defense. Durant's performance in this game is unquestionably his most efficient high-scoring night. It's even more impressive that it came against his former team.
#2 Kevin Durant vs. Orlando Magic
The second game on this list came against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 28, 2022. Durant scored 45 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists, garnered two steals and blocked two shots. Durant shot 60% from deep and 79.2% from the field, as he absolutely destroyed the rebuilding Orlando Magic.
Having a big night against a rebuilding team isn't usually something to savor. However, doing so with such elite efficiency is impressive, regardless of who the opponent was or what level they were playing at.
#3 Kevin Durant vs. LA Clippers
On Jan. 10, 2018, Durant went off for 40 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block to help the Golden State Warriors smoke their Western Conference rivals. Durant shot 85.7% from 3-point range and 77.8% from the field. He went 14-of-18 from the field at a staggering 77.8% efficiency.
When Durant is scoring at will and seeing his shots fall down from all over the court, he's almost impossible to defend. Teams shift their mindset from stopping Durant to containing him. The Clippers failed to do either in their contest against the superstar forward. They were not the first and won't be the last team to fall victim to a Durant masterclass.