Big Night Ahead: Kevin Durant Reaches 30,000 Career Points; Exciting 15-Game Slate Set for Feb. 12

When you become the 8th member of the 30K Club, you go home with the game ball.

Said Ja Morant, who gave him the ball as time expired: “He’s one of the greats.”

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Feb. 12, 2025

30KD: Kevin Durant joined the NBA’s exclusive scoring club, plus Tuesday’s roundup

All-Star: Team names & matchups set, in-game emcee and entertainment announced

ESPN Doubleheader: Star duos hit center stage in Spurs-Celtics and Warriors-Mavs

League Pass: How tonight’s 13 League Pass games can impact the postseason races

Meet The Dunkers, Pt. 2: Stephon Castle has been elevating throughout his rookie year

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A hoops marathon tips in a few hours…

Tonight is one of only four days on the NBA calendar when all 30 teams are in action. Lock in for an ESPN doubleheader featuring Spurs-Celtics (7 ET) & Warriors-Mavs (9:30 ET), plus a 13-game slate on League Pass.

Today’s Reads: SF Chron on how NBA community events at ASW draw Draymond’s approval … Billboard on Kevin Hart headlining innovative entertainer approach at ASW … ESPN on Luka’s debut … NBC Bay Area on All-Star takeover

1. 30KD: DURANT 8TH TO JOIN EXCLUSIVE SCORING CLUB

LeBron. Kareem. Malone. Kobe. MJ. Dirk. Wilt.

And now KD.

On Tuesday, Kevin Durant needed 26 points to become the eighth member of the 30,000-point club. He finished with 34, further cementing his legacy as one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen.

Durant’s journey to 30K began 6,314 days ago, when he made his NBA debut with the Seattle SuperSonics against the Denver Nuggets on Halloween 2007.

Full Circle: KD’s first NBA point came at the free throw line. So did his 30,000th point as he sank a pair of FTs with 1:11 to play in the 3rd quarter on TuesdayKD On 30K: “It’s a true honor to be in the same category as those players who helped shape the game and push the game forward … Grateful for all my teammates, coaches, family, friends that just invested in me as a basketball player, so it means a lot.”

Tuesday’s performance was emblematic of KD’s road to 30K. He was both prolific (34 points) and efficient (66.7% shooting, 75% from 3), while scoring from all levels of the court — three 3s, two mid-range field goals, four buckets in the paint, three in the restricted area and seven free throws.

Tuesday marked KD’s 1,101st career game, tying him with Kareem for the third-fastest climb to 30,000 points. The only two faster – Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

Scoring Champ: MJ (10) and Wilt (7) are also the only other players with more scoring titles than KD, who is in a three-way tie for third with George Gervin and Allen Iverson with four apieceScoring Average: MJ (30.1), Wilt (30.1) and Elgin Baylor (27.4) are the only three players with a higher career scoring average than Durant (27.3) among players who have played at least 500 games

Durant’s mix of consistency and longevity have put him in the company of greatness. And with a scoring average of 27.1 ppg in his 17th season, KD has shown no signs of slowing down.

Which begs the question – how high can he climb up the scoring list? Here’s the next three he’s chasing:

Wilt (7th, 31,419): 1,412 points needed, 53 games (based on current scoring rate)Dirk (6th, 31,560): 1,553 points needed, 58 gamesJordan (5th, 32,292): 2,285 points needed, 85 games

Grizzlies 119, Suns 112: Memphis may not have been able to keep KD from reaching 30K, but the Grizzlies prevailed over the Suns to earn their 11th win in their last 13 games behind 26 points from Ja Morant. | Recap

Raptors 106, Sixers 103: Scottie Barnes (33 pts, 10 reb, 2 blk) posted his third 30/10 game of the season to help the Raptors snap a four-game losing streak. Joel Embiid led Philly with 27 points, while Tyrese Maxey’s 18-game streak with 25+ points came to an end. | Recap

Knicks 128, Pacers 115: Karl-Anthony Towns (40 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) and Josh Hart (30 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast) combined for 70 points, 22 boards and 10 assists to lead the Knicks. KAT and Hart become the second duo in Knicks history to each post 30/10/5 in the same game. | Recap

Pistons 132, Bulls 92: Malik Beasley (24 pts, 7 3pm) and Cade Cunningham (20 pts, 7 ast) led the Pistons past the Bulls. Beasley hit his 212th triple of the season – the most ever by a Piston in a season – with 28 games to play to add to the record. | Recap

2. MATCHUPS SET, ENTERTAINERS ANNOUNCED FOR REIMAGINED ALL-STAR

The new team names and matchups are set for the first-ever NBA All-Star four-team mini-tournament, which tips off Sunday at 8 ET on TNT.

Semifinal 1: Kenny’s Young Stars vs. Chuck’s Global Stars

Kenny’s Young Stars: A new generation taking the league by storm, Team Kenny features four of this year’s six first-time All-StarsChuck’s Global Stars: A crop of stars from around the world, led by a member of the 1992 Dream Team, which helped spark the globalization of the game

Semifinal 2: Shaq’s OGs vs. Candace’s Rising Stars

Shaq’s OGs: All-time greats doing work, Team Shaq is filled with future Hall of Famers ready to add to their already stacked resumésCandace’s Rising Stars: The Castrol Rising Stars champion – featuring NBA rookies and sophomores or G Leaguers ready to make a name for themselves

How do these rosters stack up against one another? As the chart below illustrates, Team Shaq holds a commanding lead across the board in terms of experience and accolades. But will those career accomplishments translate to All-Star success?

In addition to the new All-Star format, this year’s game will also feature the first-ever on-court emcee with comedian Kevin Hart bringing his signature humor and energy to the All-Star Game.

Kevin Gets The Call: Hart – a four-time All-Star Celebrity Game MVP – was ready to lace up his kicks when Draymond Green called to invite him to the Bay for All-Star. Kevin will be on the court, but the hoops will be left to the All-Stars

Hart isn’t the only world-renowned entertainer headed for the Bay. A stacked lineup of performances will celebrate the Bay Area’s rich musical culture throughout All-Star Weekend.

Friday: Bay Area rapper LaRussell will introduce the 2025 Castrol Rising StarsSaturday: Vallejo native H.E.R. will welcome fans to State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, which will feature LiAngelo “GELO” Ball performing his single “Tweaker” prior to the Starry 3-Point ContestSunday Pregame: Oakland native and singer/songwriter Raphael Saadiq will introduce the 2025 All-StarsSunday Halftime: DJ Cassidy will lead a Bay Area edition of his “Pass The Mic Live!” starring E-40, Too $hort, Saweetie & En Vogue

3. TONIGHT ON ESPN: TWO NEW DUOS GET TESTED

Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox flexed some chemistry Monday night as Fox became the first Spur across Wembanyama’s 116 career games to drop 30 alongside him.

Tonight (7 ET), the new Spurs duo faces a Celtics pair in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with 27 such games – eighth most in NBA history – in their eight seasons as teammates.

The past few weeks have represented a turnaround for the Celtics, who went 8-8 from Dec. 19 to Jan. 18, but have since gone 9-4. Can they maintain their winning ways against the Spurs?Wemby Wall: NBA blocks leader Wemby and the Spurs have forced teams to shoot -2.4% worse inside of 6 feet — 4th best in the NBA. The leaders? The Boston Celtics.Three Is Key: Production from deep is crucial for the Celtics, who remain on track to break NBA records for 3-pointers attempted and made per game with averages of 48.2 and 17.7, respectively

The Warriors have won both games with Jimmy Butler III in the fold and boast a net rating of 14.1 when he’s on the floor, topping the Thunder’s 13.3 as a would-be best in the league.

“Jimmy’s IQ and feel for the game makes it easier for everyone” said coach Steve Kerr about Butler’s fit on his roster

Tonight (9:30 ET), Steph Curry and the Warriors will play their third game with Butler and their third game against former teammate Klay Thompson, 2025 All-Star Kyrie Irving (of Shaq’s OGs) and the Mavericks.

Father Time Tested: Curry has scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games, and at age 36 or older, that feat is matched by only LeBron James, Karl Malone and Michael JordanFamiliar Figures: During the four-game stretch, Curry is averaging 35.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 6.5 made 3-pointers – a run he’s done 17 times in his career, the most in NBA history

4. LEAGUE PASS SPOTLIGHT ON POSTSEASON RACES

Twenty-one days ago, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a career-high 54 points – marking his first career 50-piece.

Fourteen days ago, he poured in 52.

Seven days ago, he hung 50, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1961) as the only players in NBA history to post three 50-pieces on three consecutive Wednesdays.

Can he make it 4 in a row when the Thunder host the Heat (8 ET, LP) tonight?

Before dropping 54 on Jan. 22, SGA was averaging a league-best 31.5 ppgSince then, he’s posted 37.3 ppg – while leading the team in steals (1.9) – fueling a six-game win streak for the NBA-best Thunder

Below OKC, a wild Playoff race is taking shape with contenders jockeying for position in both conferences.

With 12 more games tonight on League Pass, we break down each matchup through the lens of the postseason push.

Right Behind OKC: The 2nd-place Grizzlies (@ LAC, 10:30 ET) will look to keep up with the surging Nuggets (vs. POR, 9 ET), who have won seven straight games, and Lakers (@ UTA, 9 ET), who have won six straight and 12 of their last 14West Playoff Position: The Clippers aim to stay in the top 6, as Ant and the Wolves (vs. MIL, 8 ET) – 7-3 in their last 10 – have a chance to jump them for the final Playoff spotRebounds? Both 4-6 in their last 10, 5th-place Houston (vs. PHX, 8:30 ET) looks to get back in the top 3 of the West, and the Kings (@ NOP, 8 ET) could jump 8th-place Dallas with a winIn The East: Trae Young and the Hawks look to close the gap for the final Playoff spot in a place where he’s delivered some of his most iconic work – Madison Square Garden (@ NYK, 7:30 ET)Rivals Racing: Indy (@ WAS, 7 ET) has been closing the gap on New York with an East-best 13-5 record in 2025, but the Knicks’ win on Tuesday pushed their cushion back to 5.5 gamesEast Play-In Position: Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers (@ BKN, 7:30 ET) look to inch closer with 10th-place Chicago (vs. DET, 8 ET) for the final Play-In spot – with Detroit looking to stay in Playoff positionDifferent Directions: 6-15 since the New Year, 9th-place Orlando (vs. CHA, 7 ET) hopes to regain its footing in the East, while the conference-leading Cavs (@ TOR, 7:30 ET) can earn win No. 44

5. MEET THE DUNKERS, PT 2: STEPHON CASTLE

Stephon Castle knows a thing or two about elevation.

Whether it’s rising up over defenders for a poster dunk or climbing the rungs of the Kia Rookie Ladder – which he’s topped for the past two weeks – the No. 4 pick in the 2024 Draft is ready to reach new heights.

On Saturday in San Francisco (8 ET, TNT), he’ll look to finish at the top of the leaderboard in the AT&T Slam Dunk competition.

Before he aims to earn 50s from the judges, here’s a look at some of his top slams from the first 50 games of his career.

In-Game Dunker: At the Combine, Castle ranked 24th in vertical leap with a height of 37.0 inches. He’s surpassed that mark four times already this season, including the dunk below with his highest vertical at 39.7 inches.

The dunk ⬆️ The metrics ⬇️

Among players with 10+ dunks this season, Castle (31.3″) has the fifth-highest average vertical, trailing only Ja Morant (35”), Shaedon Sharpe (33.2”), Malik Monk (33.2”) and Jalen Green (32.7”).