Getty Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (left) and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani.
Kevin Durant was ultra-efficient on Tuesday night, totaling 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go along with four rebounds, eight assists and only two turnovers as the Brooklyn Nets secured a 115-107 win over the Chicago Bulls.
Afterward, Durant fell back on his favorite pastime: tweeting.
The 11-time All-Star fired off five tweets after the game, one of which served to show Durant’s respect for a superstar who plays a different sport.
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Durant Praises Shohei Ohtani
While the Nets were playing the Bulls in Chicago on Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Angels were facing the Astros in Houston. Angels star Shohei Ohtani got the start and was stellar, throwing seven innings of one-run ball. He struck out 10 batters while only walking one.
But what really stood out about Ohtani’s outing is what happened after it.
After throwing 88 pitches as his team’s starting pitcher, Ohtani remained in the game — as the Angels’ right fielder. That’s what happens when you’re just as much of a threat with the bat as you are with your arm.
The rare feat was brought to Durant’s attention by his newest Nets teammate, Mike James.
“U c this?,” James tweeted while tagging Durant, implying the two have bonded over baseball since the Nets signed James late last month.
“Different breed,” Durant tweeted back at James, referencing Ohtani. “Trading for him now in [the video game MLB The Show], trea turner might have to dip lol.”
That’s some high praise for Ohtani — but a questionable take with regard to Turner.
Turner, the Washington Nationals’ starting shortstop, is one of baseball’s brightest stars. The 27-year-old is batting .323 this season with eight home runs, 15 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
With that in mind, James had a word of caution for his superstar teammate.
“U better not fam,” James tweeted to Durant. “I don’t agree (with trading Ohtani for Turner).”
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Durant Keeps Tweeting
Durant’s night on Twitter concerned more than just some baseball chatter, though. To no real surprise, it also featured the 2014 NBA MVP clapping back at a user who tweeted negatively about him.
A debate over the skill set of Durant and Lakers star Anthony Davis between a couple of Twitter users eventually led @waldorfsfinest to tweet: “KD will b content w not touching the ball for long stretches n standing in corner as a decoy.”
It was a bit of an odd criticism of a player who is averaging 28.2 points this season and has averaged 27.1 over 880 games in his NBA career. So Durant responded accordingly.
“Mans want me to go Rucker park every game,” Durant tweeted back, referencing a basketball court in Harlem. “Bro this the nba lol..strategy is involved.”
@waldorfsfinest Mans want me to go Rucker park every game. Bro this the nba lol…strategy is involved
It just wouldn’t be a proper Twitter session for Durant without him sufficiently quieting one of his naysayers.
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