Due for a bit of comfort after surviving a grueling six-game road trip, the Philadelphia 76ers were wise to assume that, temporarily at least, all traveling would be reserved for a different day. That is, until Kevin Durant took their defense for a ride by winning a perfectly-planned footrace in transition. Seasoned in his ability to read the floor, the NBA’s eighth-highest all-time scoring leader begins his downfloor stride immediately after Paul George’s misfired 3-pointer goes collected. Completely unbothered by the trio of white jerseys encircling him during a one-on-three transition take, Durant works urgently, gathering through the paint for a ferocious one-handed flush. As the bullet points on his Hall of Fame-bound résumé have long confirmed, Durant possessed exactly what the Phoenix Suns needed to awaken from a sluggish offensive start, and subsequently, a double-digit deficit. Turned up a few rungs during Phoenix’s comeback, the four-time scoring champion mixed efficiency and effectiveness, tallying 23 points (on just 14 attempts), alongside six rebounds, five assists, one steal, one block, and three triples on January 6, 2025. · Jan 7, 2025