Russell Westbrook has rubbished the narrative that there is animosity between him and former team-mate Kevin Durant as they prepare to face off in the NBA playoffs first round.

Westbrook and Durant, who played together at Oklahoma City Thunder, will be reunited when the former's Los Angeles Clippers will take on the latter's Phoenix Suns in a clash between the Western Conference's four and five seeds.

The pair were OKC team-mates for eight seasons, forming a strong partnership and competing in the 2012 NBA Finals, before Durant left for the Golden State Warriors in July 2016.

"It will be normal for me," Westbrook told reporters about facing Durant, having faced of 11 times since their split, with Westbrook teams up 6-5.

"I think people still think like there's some beef or something. There's no beef of any [kind], so I think that's the good narrative for media, for people to talk about.

"But there's no beef. I got nothing but respect for him and things he's done with his career and having to see him back from injury.

"There's no beef at all. But he knows I'm going to compete and I know he's going to compete and that's all it is."

Westbrook, who left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Clippers in midseason, was full of praise for Durant, who also made a midseason move from the Brooklyn Nets to the Suns.

"Just his ability - he's always been very efficient," Westbrook said. "But I think his ability to be more efficient and still score the ball at a high rate.

"He's probably one of the best scorers I've seen, just can score at ease and look so effortlessly.

"I think over the years, he's figured out ways to score the basketball at a very, very high rate, and that's kind of what I've seen over the years."