Kevin Durant left no doubt as the Warriors earned a 129-110 Game 6 win Friday to eliminate the LA Clippers.
After tying an NBA-record with 38 points in the first half (Charles Barkley, 1994), the reigning back-to-back NBA Finals MVP finished with a playoff career-high 50 points (on 15-for-26 shooting) to go along with six rebounds and five assists.
MORE: Durant earns Player of the Night
Not only did Durant earn NBA.com's Player of the Night honours, but he also earned the praise of Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who told NBC Sports Bay Area postgame that "(Durant) is an amazing player. He's the best player in the world – the most skilled player in the world. He's remarkable."
Steve Kerr told @KerithBurke that Kevin Durant “is the best player in the world.” pic.twitter.com/zqrrQHHErj
— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) April 27, 2019
Durant was one of four Warriors to finish in double figures as two-time league MVP Stephen Curry scored 24 points, 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala scored 15 points and Draymond Green finished with a 16-point, 14-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Kerr cited these other performances, adding that "(Game 6) was a group effort, but (Durant) obviously stood out."
The Warriors All-Star forward stood out the entire series as he finished averaging 35.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 56.7% from the field, 40.0% from 3-point range and 94.9% from the free throw line over six games.
He posted the two best scoring performances of his playoff career in the series as he scored 45 points in Golden State's Game 5 loss before his 50-point explosion in the team's series-clinching Game 6 victory.
SERIES PREVIEW: Warriors vs. Rockets
Durant and the Warriors look to ride this momentum into the second round as they are set to host the Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals with less than a 48-hour turnaround following Game 6 of their first-round series with the Clippers.