On Thursday night, the Milwaukee Bucks took down the Brooklyn Nets 104-89 to send their second-round series to a Game 7.
As these two Eastern Conference powers trade blows in this tightly-contested series, the tensions between opposing players are progressively rising.
So far, PJ Tucker has been tasked with the near-impossible task of guarding Nets superstar Kevin Durant. As heated competitors, this pairing has had more than a few intense battles throughout their NBA careers.
While on the court it looks as though there may be some bad blood between these two Texas basketball products, Tucker explained that he has nothing but respect for his opponent.
“Me and Kevin fight every year…I love guarding him. I enjoy it,” Tucker told reporters. “He’s the best scorer I’ve ever seen in my life…that’s my brother, we compete, we fight every game, we’re gonna fight again in Game 7”
“Me and Kevin fight every year…I love guarding him. I enjoy it. He’s the best scorer I’ve ever seen in my life…that’s my brother, we compete, we fight every game, we’re gonna fight again in Game 7”
PJ Tucker vs. Kevin Durant – not the disrespectful rivalry you think it is. pic.twitter.com/QAVvKPmdFN
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) June 18, 2021
During the Bucks’ Game 3 win earlier in the series, an argument between Tucker and Durant escalated into a scuffle between the two teams. A man alleged to be Durant’s body guard at the time rushed onto the floor to break up the confrontation, resulting in a suspension from the NBA.
With Kyrie Irving out and James Harden fighting through his hamstring injury, the brunt of the scoring and ball handling load has fallen squarely on Durant’s shoulders — making things much more difficult for Tucker.
So far in the series, Durant is averaging 33.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game on 51.6% shooting from the field. His signature 49-point performance in Game 5 carried his team to an incredible comeback victory.
While Tucker has respect for Durant, don’t expect him to back off at all during Game 7 tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The post P.J. Tucker Has Honest Reaction To Guarding Kevin Durant appeared first on The Spun.
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