2015 NBA scores: Kevin Durant couldn’t miss in his return to the court as the Thunder dominated the Jazz

Plus, LeBron James made history and the 76ers lost ... again.

Nov 24, 2015, 1:00 PM UTC

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant missed six games with a left hamstring strain, but he didn't forget how to shoot. Durant was on fire in his return to the court with 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting as the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the Utah Jazz 111-89 on Monday.

Russell Westbrook added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the Thunder climbed to 9-6, including 6-3 when Durant plays. Durant added six rebounds and four steals in 30 minutes of play as Oklahoma City ran all over Utah.

The Jazz have looked the part of a Western Conference playoff team, but they were not an elite team against the Thunder. Their normally staunch defense -- with No. 6 defensive rating in the league heading into Monday's game -- was no match for the hot-shooting Thunder. Their offense was terrible, too. Gordon Hayward led only three Jazz players who scored in double figures with 19 points. And it was never really that close.

After an evenly matched first quarter, the Thunder blew the game wide open in the second. Durant was on fire from the onset, scoring 18 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting as the Thunder led 63-46 at the break.

Durant was brilliant from the field all night. In his nine games he's shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from deep. It's a small sample size, but if he's able to keep it up it would be the best shooting season of his career. Via NBA.com:

The Jazz never made it close on a night that couldn’t have gone any better for Oklahoma City as Durant returned to the court.

For the Thunder, it was the type of night they dreamed up with this roster. Durant and Westbrook were perfect together -- Durant hitting tough shots, Westbrook creating. Serge Ibaka played solid defense with five blocks. Steven Adams gave them toughness down low and Dion Waiters was a spark plug off the bench, with 12 points and six assists.

As long as the Thunder are healthy they’re going to be dangerous. Durant played only 27 games last season and they still almost made the playoffs. It’s clear that when he’s on the court he’s one of the best players in the league and the Thunder are one of the best teams.

2 things we learned

Try as they might, the Philadelphia 76ers are doomed

There is no end in sight for the Philadelphia 76ers. Last year they reeled off 17 straight losses to kick off the season and they're on track to do it again after losing their 15th straight against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Jahlil Okafor outplayed Karl-Anthony Towns by scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while Towns struggled with foul trouble and ended the night with six points and two rebounds in 19 minutes. And the 76ers did outplay the Timberwolves for much of the night, building up a 13-point lead in the second quarter and sticking around through the Timberwolves' runs.

It really seemed like the 76ers were finally going to win one when they had a five-point lead late in the game. But they weren't able to finish this one off, especially after Andrew Wiggins ended up on the right side of this wild sequence:

From there, it was over for the 76ers. Again. They lost 100-95.

The 76ers haven’t had a winning season since the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season when they finished 35-31 and lost in the second round of the playoffs. They are right on track for a third consecutive season with fewer than 20 wins.

The LeBron James history-making tour is just beginning

With his fifth assist against the Orlando Magic on Monday, James moved into 25th place on the NBA's all-time assist list. Jumping into the top 25 put him in select company: James and Oscar Robertson are the only two players in NBA history to rank in the top 25 in career points and assists. James is currently No. 19 on the scoring list, with 25,274 points. He has 6,395 total assists after finishing the night with 15 points and 13 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers easily beat the Magic, 117-103.

Robertson ended his career with 26,710 points and 9,887 assists. James has a good chance of passing both of those numbers, although assists might be a little tougher. It was easier for James to pick up assists on Tuesday with Kevin Love on fire. Love ended the night with 34 points to lead the Cavaliers. If James' supporting cast continues hitting shots, maybe catching Robertson on that assist list will be a little easier. One thing is for sure, though. James is going to keep climbing both of those lists -- he's only six points back of passing Reggie Miller.

Play of the night

It's not an NBA play, but it will be next year. Ben Simmons is 6'10 and he's making plays like a point guard -- or, well, a point guard who can dunk with authority while driving through the lane. Simmons will make some NBA team happy next year -- maybe even the 76ers! -- but not the Brooklyn Nets. No, he was playing in Brooklyn, but the Nets traded away their first-round pick in next year's draft to the Boston Celtics. Brutal.