Tucker relishes Durant challenge: 'He's the best scorer I've ever seen'

Milwaukee Bucks forward P.J. Tucker says he always revels in trying to guard Kevin Durant, whom he still considers a close friend despite coming face to face with the Brooklyn Nets star in Game 3.

"I'll die out there. I'm living my dream. I'm not backing down from nothing, I'm fighting for every inch," Tucker told reporters after Milwaukee's Game 6 win. "I don't understand, everybody's like 'Oh all this little stuff.' Me and Kevin fight every year. I've guarded him every year in playoffs: Golden State, Oklahoma City, it doesn't matter, regular season, playoffs. I love guarding him, I enjoy it. He's the best scorer I've ever seen in my life."

"I don't understand people," he continued. "That's my brother. We compete. We fight every game. We're going to fight again, Game 7. That is a part of it. All that other stuff is just stuff."

During a break in play Thursday, Durant and Tucker appeared to be discussing footwork, further showing the amicable relationship between the two former Texas players.

Despite Tucker's close watch, Durant still led the Nets with 32 points Thursday on 15-of-30 shooting to go with 11 rebounds and three assists. However, he also finished with a game-high seven turnovers, and Brooklyn's next best scorer was James Harden with 16 points. The Bucks won 104-89 to force Game 7 in Brooklyn Saturday.

"He's gonna score. ... There's nothing you can do," Tucker said about trying to slow down the former MVP. "You can fight him as much as you want, he's going to hit some crazy shots.

"I got to switch it up. I got to give him different looks, I can't guard him the same every time," he added. "I'll pick him up full court sometimes. Sometimes, I'll fight over. Sometimes, I try to get under. I try to do everything I can to try to get any type of advantage to make him not score, but he's going to do it. So I don't get frustrated, it's going to happen. You gotta go 'Next play, next play.'

"What we can't do is get frustrated with him scoring, now people start trying to help, and now everybody else starts scoring," Tucker added. "That's when it gets ugly. That's when Game 1 and Game 2 happens. So, my job is to keep him in front, fight him as much as I can, and make sure nobody else has to help so they can stay home on their man."