Nets' Kevin Durant Brushes Off Heated Exchange With Sixers Star Joel Embiid

The last time the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets faced off, Nets star Kevin Durant had to do a lot of heavy lifting. As Brooklyn was beginning its

The last time the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets faced off, Nets star Kevin Durant had to do a lot of heavy lifting. As Brooklyn was beginning its tough battle with COVID-19, the Nets faced the Sixers while considerably shorthanded in their mid-December matchup. 

Although Durant could've used some help, he didn't need it. As he rallied in the fourth quarter against the Sixers during their second meeting, Durant led Brooklyn to an impressive victory a couple of days before entering the NBA's health and safety protocol. And in his final moments before missing three-straight games, Durant waved the Sixers off the Barclays Center court, urging them to go home.

76ers center Joel Embiid was well-aware of Durant's gestures during their previous matchup, and he kept that in mind for weeks. So, when the Sixers paid a visit to Brooklyn once again on Thursday night, Embiid used his previous memory of playing Durant as bulletin board material.

In his first nine minutes on the court, Embiid fired off for 16 points as the Sixers rallied for nearly 40 points in the first quarter alone. In the second quarter, Embiid added another six points and went into halftime with 22 points.

For the first half, Embiid did a lot of Philly's scoring on his own. In the second half, though, he received some help while he continued to dominate. By the end of the game, Embiid wrapped up the night with 34 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and a blocked shot. 

As the Sixers pulled off the upset and put the Nets away with a 110-102 victory, Embiid issued Kevin Durant a taste of his own medicine, which the superstar forward did not respond well to when he was on the court.

Embiid and Durant exchanged words and were issued double-technical fouls after their animated discussion. While it seemed Durant was getting frustrated and ready to get chippy, the former MVP brushed off the incident after the game, claiming that his competitive nature got the best of him.

"If you've been watching Joel and I play, it's been like that every game, even the All-Star Game," said Durant. "We just respect each other so much that natural competitive fire, I guess, comes out. It's the name of the game and letting them know we're coming with the same energy. I like the energy that they played with tonight. You love competition; it's only going to make you better."

At the end of the day, there are no hard feelings between Embiid and Durant. While the Sixers center had a similar incident this past Sunday when playing against Montrezl Harrell, the two "scuffles" aren't comparable. 

Not only did Harrell's on-court frustration lead to an ejection, but the Wizards big man continued to call out Embiid during his postgame press conference. On the other hand, Durant brushed the situation off and made it clear he has tons of respect for Philly's All-Star. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.