Kevin Durant upset in first round of NBA2K Tournament

Not an auspicious Nets debut for Kevin Durant.

Kevin Durant, who entered the first-ever NBA 2K Players Tournament as the No. 1 seed, made an early exit from the single-elimination tournament Friday night following a first round loss to Derrick Jones Jr of the Miami Heat. The tournament was played through Xbox One as the NBA players faced off in the comfort of their living spaces.

Durant played as the Los Angeles Clippers while Jones Jr. played with the Milwaukee Bucks. The game remained close up until the third quarter. Jones Jr. caught fire from deep, hitting three shots from deep, leaving Durant to sit up in his chair, the Manhattan skyline behind him.

In the fourth quarter, both players were hitting their shots but Durant struggled to make consistent stops on the defensive end.

In the end, Jones Jr. pulled away with the first round upset as a 16-seed. He scored 22 points with Kris Middleton and added 20 points with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Final

78-62

Fellow NBA veteran Evan Turner called the outcome predictable...

Durant’s team selections were the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, and Dallas Mavericks.

The player who comes out on top in the tournament will not only be named the NBA 2K20 Players Champion but will receive $100,000 for a charity of his choice.

Much of the conversations between players centered on their shuttered lifestyles as ESPN’s Jacob Wolf reported.

Throughout the night, players discussed their home lives amid the coronavirus pandemic that has many Americans, including these players, complying with stay-at-home orders to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Durant, who is recovering from an Achilles tendon injury suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals, said he has not touched a ball “in a while.”

The games resume Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

• Derrick Jones Jr. upsets Kevin Durant in NBA 2K Players tourney - Jacob Wolf - ESPN