National Basketball Association

Video Rewind: Kevin Durant's big block and finish

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Kevin Durant made a some winning plays down the stretch including a great block on Anthony Davis and a tough layup on the break.

The Golden State Warriors are still figuring out how to play defense as a team. Without Andrew Bogut, the team’s interior defense has suffered. There’s a glaring hole in the paint that Zaza Pachulia just isn’t good enough to patch up.

For the second game in a row, the Warriors’ biggest weakness was challenged again. This time, it was the Pelicans’ superstar, Anthony Davis, pounding them down low. To be fair to Golden State, though, he’s going to be doing that a lot this year regardless of who’s in the paint.

He was dominating and keeping his, significantly, inferior team in the game. He made spectacular play after spectacular player and, down six with less than a minute left, he was asked to do it again.

Davis tried to get Kevin Durant off of his feet, which he couldn’t. Durant moved his feet perfectly, avoiding the contact that the Brow was trying to draw. He didn’t bite for the pump fake and stayed in ideal position.

The Pelicans’ star tried to rise up for the three, but Durant used his length perfectly. Durant blocked Davis’ shot with his right hand and then picked up the rebound. Then, he was off to the races.

He took off down court, racing with Davis and guard Tim Frazier. Durant euro-stepped around Frazier and finished the layup with Davis breathing down his neck. It gave Golden State an eight point lead with 40 seconds left in the game.

The play was an incredibly display of athleticism. Two long, ridiculously talented players going at it. Durant won this battle and, eventually, the war. It’s also fun to see that while Davis is considered a big man and Durant a wing, they’re pretty much the same height.

Durant has expressed a willingness to get better on the defensive end. He has all the physical tools to do so and he can truly become elite on that end if he commits that kind of focus.

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