PHOENIX – Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 29,000 career points, reaching the milestone on Saturday night when his Phoenix Suns defeated the Dallas Mavericks 114-102.

Durant joins an elite list of players who have reached the 29,000-point plateau, led by NBA scoring leader LeBron James with 40,543 points. Behind James are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and now Durant.

Durant, 36, is 10th on the combined NBA and ABA list, with Julius Erving eighth and Moses Malone ninth.

“I have to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid,” Durant said. “Teammates who gave me the ball, set screens for me, coaches who drew plays for me.”

The fourteen-time All-Star scored 31 points against the Mavs on Saturday and now has 29,010 points over seventeen seasons with Seattle, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Brooklyn and the Suns. The four-time league champions averaged 27.3 points over 1,064 games.

Durant has averaged at least 20 points in each season and continues to put the ball in the hoop at a high rate. He scored nearly 29 points per game through his first three games this season.

“What a tribute to a great generational talent,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I feel incredibly lucky to be with him every day.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.