Kevin Durant, Patrick Beverley renew feud following postgame comments
Patrick Beverley injured Russell Westbrook in his first NBA start. Kevin Durant has disliked him ever since.
Sunday night, Beverley and Durant renewed their (one-sided) rivalry, with Beverley's Lakers defeating Durant's Nets, 116-103. Durant scored 31 points in the loss, while Beverley had two points and five fouls. Still, Beverley took credit for the win.
Durant scored only eight points in the first half, along with three assists, but the most dramatic defensive play came from Westbrook, who blocked his old OKC teammate at the end of the first. (Durant blocked him back later.) But KD scoffed at the idea that Beverley shut him down.
Beverley and Durant clashed in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. Pat Bev's strategy was to irritate KD as much as possible, which led to a double ejection for both players in Game 1.
Durant did seem irritated, picking up technical fouls in the first three games of the series, though one was later rescinded. The Clippers surprisingly stretched the series to six games, in part thanks to Beverley's efforts, though Durant scored 45 and 50 points respectively in the final two games.
How long does this rivalry go back? All the way to their freshman year of college in 2006, when Beverley's Arkansas Razorbacks fell to Durant's Texas Longhorns, 80-76.
Until they retire, Durant will keep lighting it up against Beverley's teams, and Beverley will keep claiming that without him, Durant would have been lighting them up even more.
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