Kevin Durant insulted Rockets center Dwight Howard from the bench several times during the Rockets-Thunder game on Sunday night.
Reporter Anthony Slater tweeted: “Lotta chirping between Thunder and Rockets right now.”
He added that Durant insulted Howard “repeatedly,” and said, “You’re a p----.”
The Rockets squeaked by the Thunder 69-65. Howard scored 12 points and got nine rebounds.
According to Dime magazine, Durant’s tactic “might have worked.” It notes Howard “was just 4-of-14 from the field and 4-of-13 from the charity stripe for 12 points, nine rebounds, four turnovers and five fouls.”
Durant has been sidelined this season with a foot injury.
A few weeks ago, Durant said that he got some advice from Lakers guard Kobe Bryant about dealing with injuries.
“Kobe reached out to me at one point right after I got out of surgery,” Durant told ESPN. “We played a preseason game, and I was sitting on the sideline, and I was just wanting to get into the game. I just asked him, how'd he do it? What was his thought process? He just told me, he tried to learn the game as much as he can from the sideline and be the best teammate he can be and support all the guys.”
He added: “From a guy like Kobe that stood out to me, just knowing he’s at the top of his game, but always trying to get better in all aspects, I learned a lot just from that conversation. It was big for me.”