The main story line heading into Thursday night's showdown between the Warriors and Thunder was the fractured relationship between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Emotions were raised once Westbrook showed up to the arena wearing an "official photographer" vest, likely mocking Durant's passion for photography.
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As the game played out, however, a new foe emerged. Backup center Enes Kanter, who has been teasing Durant all offseason, got in an exchange with the new Warriors forward late in the second quarter. It's not exactly clear what was said between the two, but Kanter's OKC teammate Steven Adams was even telling him to knock it off.
When asked after the 122-96 Warriors victory about the interaction, Durant decided the high road wasn't worth taking.
"How many minutes did he play? Three minutes. I’m trying to focus on whoever’s on the court. He's trying to talk to me from the sideline," Durant said. "But I’m sure he’s going to put something on Twitter tonight."
Durant got the last laugh as the Warriors easily handled the Thunder, 122-96, with the forward scoring 39 points while having plus/minus of plus-21. Kanter? He had no points, and his plus/minus in those three minutes was minus-11.
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As Durant predicted, Kanter had something to say on Twitter. It wasn't a direct shot, but it can be interpreted as a subtweet.
Okla-HOME 💙
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) November 4, 2016
The Thunder matched a max offer sheet to keep Kanter entering last season. But he was acquired at the 2015 trade deadline and did not play with Durant or Serge Ibaka before they gave him that extension. Now, he's a backup center known for his defensive shortcomings averaging 17.1 minutes per game while being on the books for about $53 million over the next three seasons.
You will notice Durant did not talk smack about the Thunder's starting center, Steven Adams.
