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[Saba Sports News] Kevin Durant found himself in a fiery back-and-forth with a Hall of Fame trash talker during Friday night’s matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
As Warriors wing Moses Moody stepped to the free-throw line at Chase Center, Durant took a moment to jaw with NBA legend Gary Payton, father of Warriors guard Gary Payton II.
The verbal exchange seemed to fuel KD, who caught fire late in the third quarter, drilling three three-pointers in the final two minutes to give Phoenix a commanding 98-79 lead heading into the fourth.
Durant wasn’t done either—he made sure to send a few more words Payton’s way during the quarter break. Known as one of the greatest trash talkers in NBA history, Payton made a career out of getting under opponents’ skin.
While Durant is typically more reserved, he clearly wasn’t backing down from “The Glove.”
Durant finished with 19 points on 6/13 shooting, while Payton II struggled, posting just 3 points on 1/6 shooting in 13 minutes.
It was a night of heated exchanges across the NBA, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Chris Paul also got into a tense moment earlier in the evening.