Kevin Durant is one of the greatest players in NBA history and has been a game-changer even for mediocre teams. But like every other basketball star, he has suffered some losses, most not entirely because he performed poorly.
In a 14-year NBA career, there are bound to be some losses, and Kevin Durant has had his fair share. At the same time, KD is responsible for delivering huge losses to players, a lot more than he's received.
Despite enduring several losses at different stages of his career, Kevin Durant has successfully won four scoring titles and led his team to two NBA championships, winning the Finals MVP in the process.
Durant is adept at taking over games and has a "win against all odds" mentality that makes him special. Unfortunately, his solo effort was not enough on occasion.
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Kevin Durant has faced some losses in his illustrious 14-year career, but here are the five worst so far.
#5 33-point loss against the Boston Celtics in the 2018-19 regular season
On March 5, 2019, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors lost to the Boston Celtics by a 33-point margin in front of their home fans. It was a thorough thrashing as the Warriors could not contain the Celtics.
Kevin Durant had a poor shooting night as he recorded only 18 points in the game. He went 5 of 16 from the field and failed to knock down a three-pointer in five attempts.
#4 32-point loss against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the 2016 WCS
After coming off a near-perfect first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks, Kevin Durant and the Thunder squared off against the San Antonio Spurs. Although they were determined to get revenge for how their 2014 Western Conference finals played out, it was not to be in Game 1.
The Spurs asserted their dominance early in the series, winning the game by 32 points to strike fear into the OKC team. It was a total decimate as Kevin Durant only managed 16 points, his worst in that playoff year.
Such a strong performance from the Spurs was an indication that we could be seeing a repeat of the conference finals in 2014, but Kevin Durant was not having it. Both teams traded blows for blows in the first four games before KD decided to get a handle on things.
In Game 4, Kevin Durant put on a show, recording 41 points, making up for a rather poor outing in the first game. The Thunder won the series but did not go past the conference finals.
#3 28-point loss against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2014 WCF
Kevin Durant's nine-year run with the OKC Thunder did not result in much success as he failed to hoist the famed Larry O'Brien trophy during his time there. In 2014, they had a shot at advancing to the NBA Finals for the second time in two years but fell short.
The Thunder had a solid squad, including Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Durant himself, but could not hold off the Spurs. They managed to tie the series after losing Games 1 and 2, but the Spurs were not having it.
Led by Tim Duncan, they came in gun-blazing in Game 5 to suppress any hope of an inspired comeback in the minds of Thunder players. It was a blowout victory for the Spurs as they ended the game with a 28-point margin and eventually closed out the series in Game 6.
#2 35-point loss against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of the 2014 NBA WCF
The Thunder reached the Eastern Conference finals again but got off to a poor start. After losing Game 1 at the AT&T Center, the Spurs chose to pile on the pressure with an emphatic victory in Game 2 to go 2-0 up in the series.
The San Antonio Spurs won the game by 35 points on a night where nothing was dropping for Kevin Durant. He made five attempts from beyond the arc but could not sink any. He ended the game with 15 points on 6 of 16 shooting from the field.
So far in Kevin Durant's career, that 35-point loss represents his biggest losing margin in the playoffs. Although they bounced back and won the next two games, they ultimately lost the series.
#1 27-point loss against the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2016 NBA WCF
The significance of this loss is the reason it's ranked No. 1 despite the margin not being as wide. It was a defining moment in Kevin Durant's career as it was one of the last games he played with the Thunder.
Shortly after the series loss to the 73-9 Warriors, Kevin Durant joined them in the 2016 offseason, making him one of the most hated basketball players, at least in the eyes of Thunder fans. It was doubly upsetting for the fans because that was the team that prevented them from being in the 2016 NBA Finals.
It was Kevin Durant's second most-effective game in terms of shooting accuracy during the playoffs. He shot 61% from the field and ended the game with 29 points. Sadly, it was also his worst game in terms of protecting the ball, as he conceded the ball eight times.
The game ended in a 118-91 victory for the Warriors, even though Kevin Durant was the highest scorer in the matchup. The Warriors bench made the difference as three rotation players recorded double-digits in points.
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