Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) gestures after a three-point basket by guard Brandin Podziemski (not shown) during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images As the calendar turns ...

Kevin Durant knew Sunday exactly how close he was to surpassing his idol, Dirk Nowitzki, on the NBA’s career scoring list.

Scoring ability in the NBA is most often discussed by looking at who is among the league leaders in points per game. The assumption that players who score the most must be the best scorers makes sense on the surface,