What you missed this week in the NBA: KD vs. Russ, ridiculous Rockets, Celtics

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – NOVEMBER 22: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket against Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors on November 22, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. KD returns to OKC to face Russ

Although this isn’t Kevin Durant’s first return back to Oklahoma City, it was arguably the most entertaining. Durant, as expected, was met with boos during introductions and at every touch of the ball. Overall, Durant performed very well. However, it was the Thunder, more specifically Russell Westbrook and the big three’s, dominance that made the game so much better.

Durant finished with 21 points and five rebounds. But the Warriors as a whole struggled. While the Oklahoma City defense was incredible behind Andre Roberson and Paul George, the Warriors turned the ball over more than usual. A lot more than usual. For the first time in recent memory, the Warriors were truly dominated. So much so, Golden State’s second team put up more of a fight late in the game than the starters did. Even though Oklahoma City has hit a bit of a rough patch to begin the season, it imposed its will on the defending champions.

The Thunder big three was incredible on both sides of the floor. They outscored the Warriors’ big four by 18 points behind Carmelo Anthony’s 22 points, George’s 20 points and Westbrook’s 34. Westbrook ended the night one assist short of his sixth triple-double, but after a win, it hardly mattered to the reigning MVP.

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In the end, if great basketball was not enough, a bit of extra-curricular trash talk went down between the two sides. While Draymond Green found himself involved in a bit, the feud between Durant and Westbrook stole the show. The two jawed off at each other throughout the game, with the climax coming when the two touched foreheads and had to be separated by officials. Round one went to Westbrook. But, there’s no telling what will happen when the two meet again on Feb. 6, Feb. 24 and then again on April 3.

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