“If you’ve been watching Joel and I play against each other, it’s been like that every game, even the All-Star Game,” Durant said after he poured in 33 points in his first game out of the protocols, having missed the past four. “We just respect each other so much that that natural competitive fire comes out.” After the last tip-in, Embiid gave a thrust and pumped his arms at his waist, the competitive fire unfortunately being released. “If there was one player that I think is probably more talented than me, it’s definitely [Durant],” Embiid told reporters after the Sixers gave the Nets their second loss in eight games. “I have a lot of respect for him.”