Kevin Durant is a leading candidate for this year’s NBA MVP, as his Brooklyn Nets currently hold the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Last night, the Nets improved their record to 18-8 after a thrilling victory over the Atlanta Hawks 113-105. The Hawks were playing well going into the game, winning 7 of their last 10 games.
Durant led his team with 31 points, 6 assists and five rebounds. Hawks star Trae Young matched KD in points with 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, but could not secure the victory.
During the fourth quarter of the game, as the Nets led 107-102 with two minutes left, KD drew a foul after bumping Young a little too hard as Trae set a screen. Ice Trae did not like that, and confronted Durant about it quickly after. The duo got in each other’s faces and talked smack before being separated and each being issued a technical foul.
After the game though, Durant downplayed the altercation, saying that he still respects Trae: “I was a little too physical there with that action & I kind of pushed him a bit. He wanted me to get up out of his space & I respect that. Just a part of the game. Nothing personal, it’s all competition.”
When asked about, Trae echoed the same sentiment: “Yeah we’re all good.”
Another video surfaced from the game that showed Durant invading Young’s personal space again, leading Twitter to question KD’s motives.
Either way, it seems like Kevin and Trae are on good terms, and the war of words on the court stayed on the court.
Check out what they each had to say below.