Durant dazzles in victory over Wizards

WASHINGTON – Agence France-Presse

Kevin Durant put on a show in front of family and friends on Feb. 28, 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.

In Los Angeles, the NBA-leading Houston Rockets capped a perfect February with a 105-92 victory over the Clippers to stretch their winning streak to 14 games.

The Rockets, led by 25 points from James Harden, finished February 12-0 and with their second 14-game win streak of the season became just the sixth team in league history to post multiple streaks of at least 14 wins in the same campaign.

“Extremely important,” Harden said of the victory over the Clippers, potential early playoff opponents who had beaten the Rockets twice this season. The victory kept the Rockets atop the Western Conference, leading the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors who beat the Wizards 109-101 in Washington.