“He make a bucket, and he’s talking trash, like that’s just how he plays” - Joel Embiid says he loves Kevin Durant’s intensity, believes he plays the same way
The duel between Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid a couple of weeks ago provided one of the season's standout moments, with the superstars going head-to-head.
Embiid spoke about Durant's tendency to trash talk and how much he looks forward to the matchup. On "The Old Man & The Three" podcast, the Philadelphia 76ers big man said:
"I love playing with him. He's always talking trash for no reason. Like, he make a bucket, and he's talking trash. Like, that's just how he plays. Like, I love his intensity and, you know, knowing me I kinda play the same way, and I love talking trash."
The March 10 game was one of the season's most-anticipated matchups. The game offered a showdown of Eastern Conference powers, with the Brooklyn Nets traveling to the Wells Fargo Center. But the real sizzle was the return of Ben Simmons to the place he called home for four years. The disgruntled guard had refused to play for Philadelphia all season and had been traded a month earlier.
However, Simmons was out with a back injury, and the standout matchup was Embiid against Durant. That duel did not disappoint as the Nets blew the 76ers out of the building 129-100. Embiid had 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Durant had 25 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists.
Kevin Durant's significance to the Nets
Widely considered to be the game's best player right now, Kevin Durant was putting together an MVP run before injuring his knee in January.
The knock came at the worst possible time as the Nets had just gotten irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Kyrie Irving back as a part-time player. Losing Durant kept Brooklyn from establishing chemistry. Worse, the team fell into a 3-17 skid, falling hard from their perch atop the Eastern Conference.
Durant is averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists while shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc and 52.1% overall. He has two triple-doubles and 15 double-doubles.
Durant held the fort for Brooklyn with Irving unavailable and James Harden not fully healthy early in the season.
On Sunday, Kevin Durant scored 53 points.
Tonight, Kyrie Irving is at 51 (and counting).
They're the first teammates in NBA history to score 50+ points in consecutive games. https://t.co/8Ee6nfcMOh
Durant will have to carry the majority of the scoring burden, especially with Ben Simmons' hesitancy to shoot from outside the paint. However, having Irving available for all games will help take some of the load off.
However, as valuable as Simmons and Irving are, Brooklyn's championship aspirations depend on Durant's health and effectiveness.
Brooklyn (40-36) has won eight of its last 11 games and is eighth in the East with six games remaining. The Nets host Milwaukee (47-28) on Thursday night.