Kevin Durant's Thoughts on His Latest Playoff Series Matchup Against Lebron James

When the Houston Rockets face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, a lot of the storylines will be about Kevin Durant going up against LeBron James once again. The two giants of the game in the 21st century and two of the most recognizable figures in the sport being in an NBA Playoffs series together will certainly draw all the attention.

There's a reason why this Lakers vs Rockets series is still enticing even with the injuries on both sides. Both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will more than likely not be available for the entire series while the Rockets have been dealing with the absence of Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams to season-ending injuries.

This is the fourth time that Durant and James will play in a series against each other. Durant has the head-to-head advantage and his team won two out of the three past series. KD overall is 9-5 against James in the playoffs.

They are the only duo in NBA history to meet in 10 or more playoff games and each average over 30 points per game, according to ESPN Insights. James has averaged 31.9 PPG while Durant is right behind him at 31.7 PPG.

The first time the two met in the postseason was the 2012 NBA Finals when Durant was just in his fifth season in the association with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile James was on the Miami Heat alongside Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. James and the Heat won the series 4-1 over a young Durant and Russell Westbrook.

The next two playoff series meetings were also in the NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons. Durant was now on the Golden State Warriors while James was back home with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two faced each other in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals. The Warriors and Durant, alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson dominated a 4-1 series win in 2017 and followed up with a four-game sweep in 2018.

Durant has the overall advantage in games 9-5. Both Durant and James were each apart of historic teams when they beat each other. This is not only the first playoff meeting that isn't in the Finals, but also with the two respective players being the unquestioned leaders of the team. Both of them had significant help in their previous series wins, but now they are the primary scorer on each of their respective teams.

KD Vs LBJ

Mar 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Now as a 41-year-old veteran, James will have to deal with the absence of the NBA's leading scorer in Doncic as well as Reaves. This will be a tough task, but Durant also doesn't have his starting point guard in VanVleet besides the Rockets' back-up big man in Adams. Durant certainly has the advantage in this one, but it won't be an easy one against James given some of the Rockets' issues during the season.

Durant shared his thoughts on the matchup against James for the first time in eight seasons.

Lakers vs Rockets features two of the greatest players to ever lace ‘em up.

Kevin Durant respects the storyline but is focused on the bigger picture:

“This matchup is definitely fun. Two great players who have been in the league for a long time..” pic.twitter.com/FKDeEW3iN5
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) April 15, 2026

"It's always great playing against great players and you feel their presence on the floor even if you're not matched up with them," Durant said. "From the outside looking in, casual folks who aren't in the life with us everyday, yeah the matchup is definitely fun. Two great players who have been in the league a long time, but everybody who's involved in the series knows it's much deeper than that."

Durant had high usage with the Rockets and played at an MVP level for the team in 78 games, the most he has played since the 2018-19 season. The Slim Reaper averaged 26 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 4.8 APG while shooting 52 percent from the field.

James has averaged 20.9 PPG in 60 games this season along with 6.1 RPG, 7.2 APG and 1.2 SPG.

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