Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards added another high-stakes matchup to their on-court rivalry when the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up a 136-132 road win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night. It was a fantastic clash between two teams who were trying to earn the win, with Edwards’ Wolves edging out the result.
Durant put up 33 points (13-18 FG) with seven rebounds and seven assists, while Edwards had 22 points (7-14 FG) with two rebounds and three assists.
Edwards has called Durant his favorite player of all time, and the duo has also won an Olympic gold medal together. Naturally, they had a warm interaction after the game.
The NBA’s cameras overheard what Edwards and Durant were talking about, as the 37-year-old Rockets forward poked Edwards’ stomach and made a comment about him getting fat, prompting an immediate response from Edwards.
Kevin Durant: “You’re putting on all that god— weight.”
Anthony Edwards: “Nah, I lost it, bro. I got up to 230.”
Kevin Durant was making fun of Anthony Edwards for putting on weight 😭
KD: “You putting on all that goddamn weight”
Ant: “Nah I lost it bro. I got up to 230” pic.twitter.com/QnSiXrbSO2
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 11, 2026
This was a positive interaction between the two players who could be Playoff opponents if they make it past the first round.
Edwards is averaging 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists this season, missing plenty of time in recent weeks due to a knee injury. This injury might have been the reason for Edwards to get up to 230 pounds, with his listed weight at 225 pounds.
A five-pound increase shouldn’t be much to worry about, but players are usually in their best shape by the time the Playoffs start. Even if it’s five pounds, it’s noticeable enough for opposing stars to make comments, so Edwards will have to work on this.
Durant is averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season, with nobody ever pointing him out for gaining too much weight. The ‘Slim Reaper’ came back from an Achilles tear looking like the same player, so it’s clear he has found the consistency he needs to remain the player he is, including maintaining his shape.
Edwards is a more explosive athlete, so he can’t afford to have extra weight on him. It’ll make him injury-prone and might put him at greater risk for more serious injuries, especially because he’s playing through his knee injury right now as well.
Even though he’s coming off an injury, he did enough to lead his squad to the win here. A loss wouldn’t have changed much for the Wolves, who are locked into the No. 6 seed in the West. However, it did allow them to send a message to the Rockets that they can beat them even without key pieces like Julius Randle on the court.
The Rockets needed a win to keep themselves in the race for the No. 4 seed, as they’re now one game behind the Lakers and don’t have the tiebreakers that could’ve elevated them ahead of their rivals.
The one thing that can almost be guaranteed is that the Timberwolves and Rockets cannot meet in the first round this season. Edwards previously swept Durant in the 2024 Playoffs, so Durant might need to wait to get his revenge.
If the Timberwolves are in the 3-6 matchup and the Rockets are in the 4-5 matchup, the teams can’t meet until the Conference Finals, if at all. This might mean Friday’s clash was the final one between Durant and Edwards this season, but we’ll have more to look forward to next season.
