Since Kevin Durant chose to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder and join the Golden State Warriors, everyone was looking forward to the first matchup between the Thunder and Warriors. When the schedule dropped and we saw within the first two weeks of the NBA season we would get to see Durant versus Westbrook part one, everyone immediately marked their calendars.
For months, everyone has read the quotes about the two beings friends and also not being friends. There have been subtle jabs with sprinkles on some shots and passive aggressive shots sent each other’s way. Even teammates came out and spoke their mind on the situation. But no matter who said what from either team, everyone knew the matchup to watch was Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Pregame antics got the night started when Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook arrived to the game wearing an ‘official photographer’ vest. Russ says it wasnt a shot at KD’s love for photography but its hard to not connect the dots.
As the game got ready to begin, everyone looked for a potential fist bump or handshake. Unfortunately, Durant and Westbrook continued their tradition of not showing the opponent any pregame love and just let the games begin.
The Thunder and Warriors traded blows in the first quarter but it quickly turned into a Kevin Durant scoring rampage. The Warriors pulled away in the second quarter and never looked back as they handed the Thunder their first loss of the season in a 122-96 blowout.
Kevin Durant exploded for 39 points on the night and tied his career high with seven made three-pointers while also grabbing seven rebounds on the night. It was his night to shine and he dominated his old squad, pulling up from three and putting down dunks with ease. Stephen Curry scored 21 points on the night with seven assists and Klay Thompson dropped 18 points.
The Thunder were led in scoring by someone else not named Russell Westbrook. The man with a new contract extension, Victor Oladipo, scored 21 to lead the Thunder. Russell Westbrook scored 20 points, handed out 10 assists and grabbed five rebounds.
Check out highlights of the Russ and KD battle below.
