Glum, with ties undone after the deflating loss, the Nuggets’ coaches looked snake-bitten, but they should have known better. They were spider-bitten.
The “Durantula” got them that night in Oklahoma City — 30 points on 12-for-19 shooting — in the Thunder’s 101-84 victory.
Nuggets coach George Karl looked at his staff afterward and said: “We’ve got to do something different.”
Tonight at the Pepsi Center, the Nuggets will face Kevin Durant for the first time since that January disaster. Karl’s new defensive plan is to try and do a better job of denying the 6-foot-9 Durant the ball, as well as rotate bigger defenders his way throughout the game.
“You can’t just let him shoot and fire,” Karl said.
It all sounds good, but the fact is, Durant has desecrated defenses from New York to L.A. this season, enough so that the 22-year-old third-year pro from Texas could win his first scoring title, earn his first trip to the playoffs and grab some MVP votes as well.
“I think he’s phenomenal, and he’s just getting better and better,” said Suns guard Steve Nash, who played with Durant on the Western Conference all-star team. “For someone at his size and athleticism to have the skill level and shooting ability he has, it’s incredible.”
Cleveland superstar LeBron James leads the league in scoring (29.9) with Durant (29.8) right behind. Durant scored 39 points in Tuesday’s win against Sacramento.
But Durant is hardly haughty. All-star teammate Carmelo Anthony, third in scoring, describes him as quiet. After games, Durant sometimes tweets words of encouragement to the team he just torched.
Asked whether he thought he’d average 30 points in his third year as a pro, Durant said, “No, not at all. It’s a shock, but I believed in myself and believed in our coaching staff here, my teammates and God. I’ve got to continue to work. I can’t be complacent. I can’t be satisfied.”
The nickname Durantula fits because Durant is long, wiry and dangerous. His real height is something of a mystery. Asked how tall he is, Durant jokingly said 6-7, but when pressed, answered 6-9, his listed height. On the court, when standing next to players listed 6-10 or 6-11, Durant looks every bit as tall. As for his weight, he’s listed at 230 pounds, but he’s thin as a Delta Gamma.
With his height and reach, he’s a matchup nightmare whether he plays small forward or shooting guard, conjuring up images of the 6-9 Magic Johnson and the mismatches he created when he played point.
“Kevin Durant is a special player,” Denver’s Chauncey Billups said. “He has a skill set unusual for his size. He’s just got a gift, man. . . . He scores in so many different packages — scores in the block, scores pin-down, scores in isolations. He’s a handful to cover.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Moving on up
In just three seasons, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant has ascended from rookie of the year to potential scoring champion. A look at his progression:
Season | Points | FG%
2007-08 20.3 40.3
2008-09 25.3 47.6
2009-10 29.7 47.9
Oklahoma City at Denver
7 p.m. tonight, ALT2, KCKK 1510 AM
Spotlight on James Harden: Though Harden is a rookie shooting guard, he provides spark for the Thunder the same way Ty Lawson does for Denver. Harden averages 9.8 points in 23 minutes off the bench for Oklahoma City, another playoff-bound team. Harden hit three 3-pointers in the Jan. 29 win against the Nuggets.
Nuggets: Ty Lawson (shoulder) and center Chris Andersen (knee) are game-time decisions. . . . Denver is back at home for three games after losing the last two games on the road. After these three games, a brutal four-game road trip awaits, with featured games at New Orleans, Memphis and Houston. . . . Arron Afflalo’s 9.0 points per game is nearly twice his average last season for Detroit (4.9).
Thunder: Though he arguably hasn’t cracked the elite point guard status yet, Russell Westbrook, in his second NBA season, is close. He averages 7.9 assists per game, seventh in the NBA. . . . Oklahoma City has split the season series so far with Denver. The two play at the Ford Center on April 7. . . . Forward Jeff Green averages 14.7 points per game and was very consistent in February, only once scoring fewer than 14 points — he scored 13 in that game.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
