Kevin Durant to sit out vs. Celtics
— -- Kevin Durant, who has scored at least 30 points in nine consecutive games for the Oklahoma City Thunder, won't play against the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Durant, who aggravated his shoulder during Wednesday's win against San Antonio, will be replaced by Perry Jones, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said prior to Friday's game in Boston.
"Kevin definitely loves the game," Brooks said. "He's not one that looks forward to missing games. The guy is a gamer. He loves to play.
"It's the best thing for him. Until he's ready to play, he's not going to play, regardless of how he feels or what he wants to do. It's a medical decision."
It will be the first time in Thunder history that Durant and Russell Westbrook won't be in their lineup.
"I never looked at it that way," Brooks said of not having both stars for the first time. "I know we've always had guys that step up. We have a team that takes challenges every night. You never want to be without your players, not only us but the entire league. Regardless of if he's a starter or not a starter, you want your entire roster to give yourself the best chance. We have more than enough to compete. Old coach of mine [said]: 'All you need is five.'"
Averaging a league-high 31.0 points, Durant is working toward a fourth career scoring title, but even he hasn't experienced a stretch like this.
"Yeah, after every game I've been getting 30 to 40 texts," Durant told NewsOK.com on Thursday.
Durant has averaged 38.9 points while reaching 30 in a career-high nine straight .
"I've seen Kobe Bryant score 40 points in nine straight games," Durant told NewsOK.com. " Michael Jordan have 11 triple-doubles in 12 games. LeBron James have a month when he's averaging 35 points. So those guys, that's something to write home about."
So does he consider his streak special?
"No, not at all," he said.
Just don't tell that to his teammates and his coach. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
