This Date in NBA History (April 26): Kevin Durant drops 50 points in series-clinching Game 6 win over the LA Clippers in 2019 & more

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Kevin Durant vs. LA Clippers in 2019

On April 26th in 2019, Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant dropped a playoff career-high 50 points in a series-clinching 129-110 Game 6 win against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. 

Then the reigning two-time Finals MVP, Durant finished with six rebounds and five assists while shooting 15-of-26 from the field and 14-of-15 from the free-throw line in a game-high 42 minutes of action. 

Courtesy of this eruption, the 6'10" sharpshooter set multiple all-time NBA playoffs and franchise records.

 

He joined the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry and Sleepy Floyd as the only Warriors to score at least 50 points in a postseason game. 

For the entire Clippers series, Durant averaged 35.0 points per game on 56.7% shooting. More importantly, following the Game 2 loss where the Warriors gave up a 31-point lead and Durant fouled out, he had some interesting comments on whether Patrick Beverley's defense was playing a role on his relatively limited scoring contribution.

 

Since that "I'm Kevin Durant" comment, in the remaining four games of the series, he averaged 41.5 points on 57.3% shooting and this 50-piece was the icing on the cake.

Other notable events on April 26th

  • The sixth-seeded New Jersey Nets stunned the reigning NBA Champions - the Philadelphia 76ers - 3-2 in the first round of the 1984 Playoffs by winning the deciding Game 5, 101-98. 
  • In 1985, Mark Eaton blocked an NBA playoff record 10 shots in a 96-94 loss to the Houston Rockets, a record that would be matched by Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 29, 1990.
  • In 1988, the NBA added a third referee to the league's officiating crews for the 1988-89 season.

Game-winning buzzer-beater on April 26th

Vince Carter vs. San Antonio Spurs in 2014

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