How Kevin Durant prepared Reed Sheppard for his career night

Jeremy Beren

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How Kevin Durant prepared Reed Sheppard for his career night image

David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Reed Sheppard was built for this.

Sheppard, the third overall pick in last year's draft, notched a career-high 31 points on Wednesday night, when the Rockets went in to Chase Center and rallied to defeat the Golden State Warriors. 

The 104-100 win enhanced the Rockets' status as a Western Conference contender. Houston has one of the NBA's deepest rosters, even without injured guard Fred VanVleet.

The former Kentucky standout Sheppard stepped up in Kevin Durant's absence, shooting 12-for-25 from the floor and sinking four 3-pointers in his best NBA game yet.

Durant has taken Sheppard under his wing

Sheppard's breakthrough night appears to have been some time in the making.

Upon his arrival in a trade from the Phoenix Suns over the summer, Durant intentionally sought out Sheppard, identifying him as a player he could mold and mentor.

Durant posted about Sheppard on his Instagram after the second-year guard scored 16 points in 29 minutes off the bench in a 122-115 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 10. Durant's comments about Sheppard after that game offered a glimpse into how highly the two-time NBA champion values his new teammate.

"Reed was incredible tonight. He was huge. He got us going," Durant said that night. "He was the reason why we won this game. Reed is going to be that spark plug that we need, and tonight was one of those nights."

Sheppard lit the fuse again in San Francisco on Wednesday, taking his season scoring average to 14.3 points per game -- more than tripling his per-game output as a rookie.

If Durant is right about him, the Rockets (12-4) will be an even more challenging out when the games matter most.

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Contributing Writer