Beverley: Warriors' Durant the best player in the NBA hands down

Los Angeles, May 7: Patrick Beverley has been impressed by Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant.

Beverley spent large stretches of time guarding Durant during the Los Angeles Clippers' opening-round matchup with the Warriors, a series Golden State ultimately ended up winning in six games.

Durant has had an impressive postseason run and Beverley praised him during an interview with NBA TV on Monday (May 6).

"I've guarded a lot of people," Beverley said. "I went home and I told my friends, 'He is the best player in the NBA hands down. It's not even close.'"

dress rehearsal pic.twitter.com/XTqf8j7X7k

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 6, 2019

The pair had a few notable exchanges in the playoffs, including a verbal altercation in Game 1 which led to both of their ejections.

Durant tallied 33 or more points in each of the final four games of the Warriors' first-round series. In total, he has averaged 35.6 points in the playoffs.

"He saw something and he went at it every single time," Beverley said. "That's a killer mindset."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said late last month Durant's play has "been off the charts".

The Warriors will face the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of their second-round series on Monday. They enter the matchup with a 2-1 series lead.