Brian Manzullo

Detroit Free Press

Kevin Durant normally doesn't like sitting out games.

But the Oklahoma City Thunder star forward didn't have much of a problem sitting out against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night -- and he especially didn't like former teammate Reggie Jackson celebrating in the Pistons' victory.

"They knew I don't like sitting out ... so they came to me and were like, 'Bro, I know you don't want to sit this one out, but I think it would help,'" Durant told reporters today, according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. "So I was like, 'you don't have to ask me like that. If you want me to sit out, I'll sit out.' I definitely wanted to play. I wanted to play against Detroit for sure, but ... you know. It's Detroit.

Pistons' Stanley Johnson: 'Durant disrespected our whole team'

"You know, who cares about Detroit?"

Ouch.

To be fair, the Thunder didn't have much of a reason to care about the Pistons. They're locked into third place in the Western Conference behind the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs with just a handful of games remaining and have much more incentive to rest players now than win cross-conference games.

But whether Durant liked it or not, the Pistons took advantage of him and center Serge Ibaka sitting out to win 88-82 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, a key win in their quest to end a 6-year postseason drought.

But Durant and teammate Russell Westbrook didn't take too kindly to Jackson's behavior during and after the victory. Jackson had a falling-out with the Thunder, especially Durant and Westbrook, before he was traded to the Pistons last year.

"It was bush league, in my opinion," Durant said of Jackson's celebrating. "Jumping up and down, running around ... I understand you helped them win the game, but our whole team didn't play. We'd have beat the hell out of them if we did, you know? I know I don't talk like that, but it (expletive) me off. What can I do about it? Some guys are who they are. They won the game. Congrats."

Contact Brian Manzullo: bmanzullo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianManzullo.

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