Kevin Durant

Cross-checked NBA, Thunder, Warriors, and Nets game coverage, official box scores, Finals retrospectives, record summaries, contemporary reactions, and recurring fan discussion. Durant's all-court 2021 masterpiece leads; championship-changing shots, the enduring Game 7 near-miss, and his Oklahoma City Finals breakthrough follow. Playoff stakes and cultural memory outweigh selecting the five largest point totals, so his 2019 first-round 50-point game remains just outside the published five.

1. #1. With Kyrie Irving out and James Harden limited, Durant played all 48 minutes and authored 49 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, and two blocks, erasing a 17-point deficit to seize a 3–2 lead over Milwaukee. NBA: 2021 East semifinals Game 5—perhaps Durant's greatest game · Nets: Durant leads Brooklyn with historic triple-double
2. #2. Durant scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and pulled up over LeBron James for the go-ahead three with 45.3 seconds left, completing an 11–0 finish that put Golden State one win from the 2017 title. NBA: Durant's deep dagger caps the 2017 Finals Game 3 rally · NBA: Durant claims 2017 Finals MVP
3. #3. Durant played all 53 minutes and set the then-record for scoring in a playoff Game 7 with 48 points, forcing overtime on the famous turnaround whose toe-on-the-line margin kept it from ending Milwaukee's eventual title run. NBA: Bucks withstand Durant's 48 in overtime Game 7 · Nets: Brooklyn's season ends in a Game 7 overtime thriller
4. #4. With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggling, Durant carried Golden State with 43 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, then struck from nearly the same spot as his 2017 dagger to take a 3–0 Finals lead. NBA: 2018 Finals Game 3 wrap · NBA: Durant's performance for the ages powers the Warriors
5. #5. In his Finals debut at age 23, Durant scored 36 points with eight rebounds and four assists—including 17 fourth-quarter points—as Oklahoma City erased a halftime deficit for its only victory of the 2012 Finals. NBA: Durant dominates his 2012 Finals debut · Heat: Looking back at the 2012 championship series

Reviewed through 2026-07-17