Kevin Durant has a stat line that Jordan or Kobe never reached

On Sunday night, Kevin Durant reminded the world why his “Easy Money Sniper” nickname is so fitting. The Phoenix Suns forward scored 40 points without a single free throw against the Indiana Pacers, hitting 18 of 25 field goals, including four 3-pointers.

Durant scored 40 points without even attempting a shot from the charity stripe, reaching a stat line not even recorded by the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant. .

While Curry did come close when he scored 39 points against the Charlotte Hornets in February 2017, the Warriors star has never cracked the 40-point mark without taking free throws.

According to StatMuse statistics, Jamal Murray scored 50 points in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 2021 and is still the highest scorer among players without free throws, followed by Hakeem Olajuwon (48 ), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (48) and Klay Thompson (48). 44). Thompson is the only player in NBA history to play three such games.

The 35-year-old Durant also became the oldest player in NBA history to score 40 points without taking free throws, surpassing Olajuwon’s previous record.