John Lucas and Kevin Durant Bring the House Down In New York – NBA Update
After netting an astounding 66 points at Rucker Park in Harlem, Kevin Durant made his way to the Baruch College gym to play in another summer league match, against Chicago Bulls guard John Lucas III.
This time it was John Lucas who ran the show, as he bagged 60 points in total. Durant on the other hand, only managed 41 points, but he stole the limelight as he hit home a three pointer with 5.7 seconds left to send the game into
overtime. Kevin’s team eventually triumphed over Lucas’ team with the final score at146-143.
The highlights of Durant’s game went viral afterwards, but, the two times reigning NBA scoring champion made sure that Lucas received the same kind of attention from the media as well as the fans.
"Should be broadcasted by everybody. Everybody should know. The way he played was unbelievable. He got it easier tonight than I got it last night. He had a h**l of a game," Durant said.
It was all about Durant and Lucas in this highly competitive affair. Lucas admitted that he could not compete with Durant in a shooting competition and was quick to shrug off the competitiveness as a means of having fun with each
other.
There were occasions when both players tried to match each other shot after shot and kept on throwing playful gestures at each other. Many people thought that Lucas was trying to avenge previous night’s defeat at Rucker Park, and
in doing so wanted to replicate Durant’s performance.
However, the Bulls guard was quick to dismiss such claims and hailed Durant as a natural scorer, with whom he could never compete.
"Nah, I was just playing ball," said Lucas III. "Kevin's a scorer. I can't compete with him on the scoring tip. He's 6-9. In a real game, this is what he do. He gets buckets.”
Lucas said that he would never play like this in a real game as his job is to coordinate the team and close down open shots. He further stated that this is summertime which is all about having fun and letting oneself free. Lucas
regarded his conversations with Durant as having a playful as well as a competitive spirit.
Kevin was not as influential as he was at Rucker Park and missed many field goal attempts. His only strong aspect emerged from the free throw line as he nailed 21 of 23 attempts.
However, Durant refused to blame fatigue for his off the mark shooting and said that he knew he could not replicate the performance he gave in Harlem, because there were other pro NBA players also playing on his team this time.
These included the likes of former NBA player Andre Barrett, Indiana’s Roy Hibbert and New Jersey’s Sundiata Gaines.
Durant also stated that he has always loved playing in the summer leagues and will continue to do so, until there is further news regarding the lockout situation.
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