Texas Longhorns-Ex Kevin Durant Leads Nets Into Series vs. Milwaukee
Former Texas Longhorns forward Kevin Durant and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets are set to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the second of the Eastern Conference NBA Playoffs on Saturday.
Durant is seeking his third NBA championship after winning two with the Golden State Warriors, and after spending all of last season on the bench due to an injury. Durant played one season at Texas, in 2006-07, earning Big 12 Player of the Year honors and becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Going into the second round, Durant is averaging 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
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Durant’s best game in the Nets’ first-round victory over the Boston Celtics came in Game 4 of the series when he scored 42 points on 14-of-20 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from the 3-point line. He also had a double-double in Game 1 of the series, scoring 32 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He also scored 39 points in Game 3 of the series, which was Brooklyn’s only loss to the Celtics.
He also helped set an NBA Playoffs record when the Brooklyn Nets closed out the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Durant isn’t the only Texas-ex in the series, either. P.J. Tucker, the nine-year veteran, is on the Milwaukee Bucks’ roster, the result of a deadline deal that sent the defensive stopper from the Houston Rockets to the Bucks. In four playoff games, he’s averaged three points and four rebounds per game.
The winner of the series goes on to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will face either the Philadelphia 76ers or the Atlanta Hawks. That series begins on Sunday.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.