Kevin Durant, Pat Beverley Talk Ejections; Steve Kerr Says 'We Took the Bait'

Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley were both ejected in the fourth quarter of Golden State's 121-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday after receiving double-technicals for their back-and-forth exchange, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wasn't happy about it.

"We took the bait," he said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. "[Durant] took the bait, and that's two technicals. You get seven technicals, your seventh one is a suspension in the playoffs. Whether you play four playoff games or 24, seven is the magic number. So he's got four to play with after one game."

"That's what Beverley does," Kerr added. "We talked about it for the last couple days. He's a helluva defender, he plays hard, we've got a lot of respect for him—but you cannot take the bait because that's a bad trade for us. The Clippers have made a lot of good trades this year—that was probably their best."

Durant said he wasn't worried about the technical fouls going forward, noting he could "control" himself, and he said he wasn't surprised by the jawing with Beverley. 

"I've been playing against Pat Bev since he was in Arkansas, so I kinda know what he brings," he said. "He's a Chicago kid, man—grew up and raised in the Chicago area, so those dudes played with a different type of grit, so I can appreciate that about Pat."

As for Beverley, well, he was just being himself.

"I was just being Pat. It was fun out there," he said. "We competed. I really wish we could've played more without the chippy calls, but I understand it's Game 1 and they're trying to set the tone. But this is the playoffs. People want to come see a good basketball game and not so many fouls, but there's things that we can control."

The war of words didn't seem to impact Durant's actual play, as he finished with 23 points (8-of-16 from the field), four rebounds, three assists and three blocks. But Kerr was correct when he noted the Clippers would take a Beverley-Durant double-ejection any day of the week. Durant is the two-time defending NBA Finals MVP, after all.

Beverley may be an excellent defender and a pest, but Durant is one of the three best players in the NBA. Even against the No. 8-seeded Clippers, the Warriors need him on the court.