Kevin Durant decimated the Thunder in his 1st game against his old team

Kevin Durant’s first game against the Oklahoma City Thunder has stood out as one of the main events of the 2016-17 NBA season. The new Golden State Warriors star’s acrimonious split with Russell Westbrook (perhaps only for the jilted) and the only franchise he had ever known was the biggest story of the offseason and figures to loom over this entire year. Anticipation for Thursday night’s game at Oracle Arena was intense enough that Westbrook’s decision to wear a photographer’s credential vest seemed like a stab at his former co-star. The intensity was palpable.

It looked for a time as if the game would allow the Thunder a chance to show Durant what he was missing. With 3:00 remaining in the first quarter, forward Jerami Grant — who never played alongside Durant and joined OKC just a few days ago — dunked on Durant with authority:

It was as if the notoriously competitive Westbrook had sicced his minions on his new enemy. Were the Thunder ready to fight? And would Durant have any answer for such a strong statement?

Those questions didn’t last very long, because Durant began to dominate as only he can shortly thereafter. The 2014 MVP scored 26 of his 29 first-half points after Grant’s dunk as the Warriors took complete control with a 49-14 run. Durant was the clear star, shooting 11-of-17 from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point range in an incredible display. It was easily his finest stretch as a Warriors so far, and not just because it came against his former team.

But the fact that Westbrook and Thunder were on the other side obviously mattered. One stretch in the second quarter was especially difficult not to read as a mark of intent. Two quick-fire Durant threes sandwiched a turnover from Westbrook, who had already begun to descend into frustration:

The second half was something of a formality after such a dominant run, but it still provided Durant with the opportunity to finish with a season-high 39 points in the 122-96 win. That ties a record for the most points by a player in his first game against his former team.

As in Tuesday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Warriors looked a lot like the juggernaut most expected when they tipped off for the first time last week. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 29 points on 6-of-14 shooting from deep, but they were clearly secondary to KD. His performance spoke volumes.

Yet Durant had more to say both during and after the game. A player who had professed to have no bad feelings for his former teammates certainly seemed to have a few on Thursday. That was especially true of a second quarter incident involving reserve center Enes Kanter, who jawed at the red-hot Durant from the bench during free throws. Durant sniped back in that moment and in his post-game press conference:

For the record, Kanter did only play three minutes. The Twitter reference wasn’t by accident, either — Kanter poked fun at Durant for his “betrayal” in a conversation with Steven Adams in July.

Westbrook had something to say, too, although he couldn’t get too positive after putting up 20 points on 4-of-15 shooting with six turnovers:

Expect their next game together in Oakland on January 18 to be fairly rowdy, too. As if Durant’s offseason move weren’t enough, the bad blood created during May’s intense Western Conference Finals has carried over for many participants, too. These teams do not like each other, and they’re not afraid to show it.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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