"Draymond Green taught him that" - Fans hilariously react as Kevin Durant punches European big man

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns suffered a 124-116 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, falling to one of the league’s bottom teams. Frustrations boiled over in their rematch on Friday, as Durant took a swing at Pelicans big man Karlo Matkovic during the game.

Clips of the incident quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter). While defending Trey Murphy III, Durant ran into a screen from Matkovic. After taking the hit, he responded by swinging at Matkovic’s hip.

Fans had plenty of jokes about Durant’s swing, with some comparing it to Draymond Green, his former Golden State Warriors teammate known for his fair share of questionable swings.

“Draymond Green taught him that,” one fan said.

"KD so lanky though. No muscle. It was a love tap 😂😭😭😭😭,” another said.

"Karlo probably didn’t feel that 😂,” another added.

The Pelicans big man had a strong performance in Thursday’s game, posting his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, both marking the second-highest totals of his career.

“Bro mad at a practice level screen,” a fan said.

“Don't worry, it don't hurt,” another commented.

“Woulda been an ejection if that twig didnt have pillows for hands😂,” another added.

Kevin Durant still sees fight in the Suns despite struggles

The Suns’ loss to the Pelicans on Thursday marked their third straight defeat and 10th loss in their last 12 games, further sinking their playoff hopes.

Now sitting 11th in the Western Conference, Phoenix is 3.5 games behind the final play-in spot, currently held by the Sacramento Kings, who have strung together back-to-back wins. Also ahead of them are the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the red-hot Golden State Warriors.

Despite the bleak outlook, Kevin Durant remains optimistic that the Suns still have some fight left.

"Most definitely. I feel like everybody wants to win," Durant said (per Gerald Bourguet). "I feel like everybody's pissed off. When you see bad body language, that means people care. And guys care in this locker room, and I can tell they're pissed."

Kevin Durant and the Suns will open March with a tough stretch of games against teams ahead of them in the West standings, including the Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Kings and LA Lakers.