WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Kevin Durant put on a show in front of family and friends on Wednesday, scoring 32 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 109-101 NBA victory over the Washington Wizards.
It was a homecoming for Durant, who hails from nearby Maryland, and he didn’t disappoint, connecting on 12 of 20 shots from the floor while handing out four assists with six rebounds.
His performance came almost a year after he suffered a sprained knee in the opening minutes of the Warriors’ game against the Wizards in Washington, an injury that would sideline him for five weeks.
This time around, all went smoothly.
“My teammates got me going early,” Durant said. “I was able to get some threes, get some transition points and that got my jump-shot going … my teammates did a great job of putting me in great positions.”
Stephen Curry added 25 points and the Warriors limited Washington guard Bradley Beal to eight as the reigning NBA champions notched their seventh win in eight games.
Their latest victory came a day after the Warriors spent their Tuesday off taking a group of students from Durant’s hometown of Seat Pleasant, Maryland, to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Their visit to the nation’s capital didn’t include the trip to the White House so often taken by title-winning teams.
After Curry, just one of the Warriors players critical of US President Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric on social issues, said prior to the season that he wouldn’t visit Trump’s White House, Trump tweeted that the Warriors were no longer invited.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called it a “fantastic” experience.
“The kids, their smiles lit up the room, and our guys understand how much of an impact they can make on these kids,” he said.
© Agence France-Presse