NBA scores 2016: Kevin Durant got angry and crushed the Thunder’s undefeated season

The Warriors ran the Thunder out of the gym as Durant erupted for 39 points.

Nov 4, 2016, 12:00 PM UTC

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

The first meeting between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook was the most anticipated game of the NBA regular season. Westbrook spent the entire summer taking subtle shots at his former teammate while Durant regularly touted how “selfless” his new team was. The hype for this game was suffocating, but it still managed to be wildly entertaining even as the Warriors came away with a blowout win.

Durant finished with 39 points and matched a career-high with seven three-pointers as Golden State cruised to a 122-96 home victory. The Thunder were the last undefeated team remaining in the West heading into the night, but this game was an emphatic reminder of what they’re missing:

It was clear this was an emotional game for both sides as soon as the ball went up. New Thunder forward Jerami Grant dunked on Durant late in the first quarter and Durant was quick to chirp back when he scored a few possessions later. It was a different game after Grant’s dunk: Golden State blitzed OKC with a 19-1 run that blew the contest wide open. That didn’t stop OKC center Enes Kanter from yapping at Durant from the bench.

Westbrook finished with 20 points and 10 assists, but it wasn’t enough. His most memorable moment from this night was his pregame outfit — an “Official Photographer” shirt that many believed was a shot at Durant (who enjoys photography).

The Warriors have looked vulnerable at times during their 4-1 start, but not on Thursday. With Durant cooking and Stephen Curry in a supporting role, Golden State looked incredible. The Thunder could only keep this game competitive for a quarter before Durant took over and put the contest out of reach.

Durant won’t make his return to Oklahoma City until Feb. 11, and you can bet that will be must-see TV once again. Unfortunately for the Thunder, they couldn’t beat the Warriors with Kevin Durant. Now that he’s on the other side, OKC is simply out-matched.

Two other things we learned

The Bucks are really fun when everyone comes to play

The Bucks’ reign as the NBA’s official Cool Young Team was so short-lived. The Timberwolves took the reins as soon as Karl-Anthony Towns emerged, and after a while, Milwaukee looked more like an island of misfit toys. When Khris Middleton went down with a ruptured hamstring, the Bucks appeared to be nothing more than a middling lottery team.

Well, don’t write off Milwaukee quite yet. The Bucks delivered a 125-107 beatdown of the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night that reminded us how fun they can be. Giannis Antetokounmpo was dunking on everyone, Jabari Parker was draining threes, Greg Monroe was controlling the glass, and Thon Maker was even getting in on the action. This game was everything we’ve always wanted the Bucks to be:

Antetokounmpo was outstanding again to finish with 27 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Parker had by far his best game of the year, chipping in 27 points and hitting 4-of-6 three-point attempts. Monroe was also excellent off the bench with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Maker played all of one minute and hit two threes.

This victory moves the Bucks to 3-2 on the season and makes it three wins in the last four games. Tony Snell (14 points) and rookie Malcolm Brogdon (12 points) are stretching opposing defenses, Matthew Dellavedova is playing tough defense and Giannis is coming into his own as a supers tar in his fourth season.

More of this please, Bucks. We want to love you again.

Avery Bradley and Jaylen Brown are the Celtics’ secret weapons

Yes, the Cavaliers took care of business against the Celtics with a 128-122 win in TNT’s undercard game on Thursday. Yes, the Cavs are still awesome, with LeBron James (30 points, 12 assists) and Kevin Love (26 points) pacing what looks like the league’s most explosive offense. Cleveland is 5-0 and continue to look head-and-shoulders above everyone else in the East.

But let’s focus on Boston for a second. The Celtics were damn impressive in this game, and it was because of the contributions of a heralded rookie and a young veteran who might be taking another step forward.

We’ll begin with Jaylen Brown, who got his first career start matched up against LeBron James. The 20-year-old wing was phenomenal, finishing with 19 points on 3-of-6 shooting from deep to keep Boston hanging tough. His most impressive play of the night might have been this rebound:

Avery Bradley has also been undeniably impressive for the Celtics in the early season. After dropping 31 points in a win over the Hornets last week, Bradley chipped in 26 points and 10 rebounds while playing his typically tough defense. This is Bradley’s seventh season in the league, but he’s still just 25 years old (for a few more weeks, at least).

If Bradley can raise his game to new highs and Brown can contribute earlier than expected, Boston is going to be a serious threat to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. With LeBron James still in his prime, that’s about as much as any team could hop for.