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OAKLAND – When the game was in play and his teammates were shooting blank, Kevin Durant sank deep into his box and pulled out the tools needed to dismantle the Sacramento Kings.
If he had not done it, who would have done it?
With the Warriors and Kings never separated by more than six points in the last 23 minutes on Saturday night, the game would be decided based on the best team in the fourth quarter.
Because Durant did, the Warriors scored 17 of his 44 points, the highest of the season, to win a 117-116 victory.
While his teammates were 2 of 11 on the field, scoring five points in the last 12 minutes, Durant was 6 of 12. If he had not defeated the shots, the Warriors would have been the losers of Oracle Arena.
"You just have to score points," Durant said, describing his end-game mentality. "The match was tight, they were shooting down. We had trouble marking. So I just tried to shoot the ball as much as I could. And they came in.
It was, again, particularly in the absence of Stephen Curry, the ultimate option of rescue.
"Yes, even when Steph is here," said Klay Thompson. "You've been seeing KD for a few years in the final. Whenever the offense becomes stagnant and that they change often, you can throw the ball to him and he will have a clean appearance every time.
"He's the top scorer in the world."
That happened one night after Durant scored 32 points, a top in the match, beating Portland.
Such performances at consecutive evenings indicate that Durant made the necessary offensive adjustment without Curry's brand and Draymond Green's staging – as well as the emotional adjustment imperative after his boisterous argument with Green.
During the previous six games without Curry: 168 points (28.0 points per game) on 53 shots out of 126 (42.1%), including 5 out of 27 from outside the Bow and 62 out of 66 from the line.
During the last two games: 76 points (38.0 average) on 26 shots out of 47 (55.3%), including 4 out of 13 from the deepest and 20 out of 22 from the line.
He is a different player, bringing more energy. In addition to his score, Durant also captured 13 rebounds (a team-high), while recording seven assists and two blocked shots.
"Phenomenal," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. "He assumes such responsibility with Klay. You see the fire distribution; these guys really carry the charge offensively. Kevin was just amazing. There was so much property that had died in the water and he released us on bail late.
Durant says he's not used to playing without Curry and Green, but acknowledges that this has been a period of development.
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We are simply trying to find a way to be effective, each of us, when we are in the field, "he said. "The coach tried to mix and match the lines and put the guys in a position to succeed individually.
"We miss 30 points at Steph each night. You do not know where it's going to come from, so you need to play more brain games without scorers. "
There may have been too much brain in the first games without Curry and Green. Now, there is a mix of thought and action. It's a more decisive team of warriors, certainly with Durant when it mattered.
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