Kevin Durant met with animosity in Oklahoma City

Kevin Durant’s first game back in Oklahoma City as a member of the Golden State Warriors was always going to be one of the biggest events of the 2016-17 season. And indeed it was. The game was full of intensity and drama. The crowd jeered Kevin Durant loudly during pregame warmups, starter introductions and whenever he touched the ball. That crowd kept the energy high throughout, creating a playoff atmosphere that seemed to affect the effort levels of both the Thunder and Warriors. The scene got especially intense towards the end of the third quarter when Durant and former co-star Russell Westbrook jawed at each other during a stoppage in play:

Kevin Durant also went face-to-face with Andre Roberson while Draymond Green had words with a fan behind the Thunder bench.

But none of that mattered on the court. Because Durant ultimately got the last laugh, posting 34 points with nine rebounds and three assists on his former team, while hitting 12 of his 21 field goal attempts in a 130-114 win. The final result gives the Warriors a 373-310 total advantage over the Thunder in their three games this season for an average score of 124.3 to 103.3. Put even more simply, all available evidence says that Golden State has an overwhelming advantage in this matchup.