Monday night marked the 31st regular season matchup between two of the greatest small forwards to ever play the sport of basketball, as LeBron James and Kevin Durant set out to do battle once more. In the end, James took home his 20th regular season victory over Durant after the Los Angeles Lakers shut down the latter en route to a 100-92 victory.
Durant faced an aggressive defensive scheme from the Lakers that was geared towards getting the ball out of his hands, and he was held to two points in the second half as a result. This fueled a late-game surge from LA, which allowed them to build a more comfortable cushion for the third-seed in the Western Conference.
After the game, James gave Durant the biggest form of respect by saying that every version of the Rockets star is difficult to guard and every single game, he commands as much respect as the Lakers gave him on Monday.
“S**t, every version. He continues to get better and better,” James said, via @ohnohedidnt24 on X (formerly Twitter). “We had our battles in the Finals too. Even when he was young, when him and Russ and James, he's never not been great at basketball.”
"Are any versions of Kevin [Durant] would you say is the hardest player you've had to guard?"
LeBron James: "Sh*t, every version. He continues to get better and better… He's never not been great at basketball."pic.twitter.com/4SF0BiWzEE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 17, 2026
Lakers star LeBron James highlights major problem for Rockets
James said in his postgame remarks that what makes Durant all the more difficult to defend is when he's allowed to go one on one — which he wasn't on Monday night.
“Him in Golden State was super dynamic because you can't put multiple bodies on him because of the threat of Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson at all times,” James added. “His time in Brooklyn too, when Kyrie and James was out there, you can't put multiple bodies on him.”
“Any time you can't put multiple bodies in front of a great like that that has the ability to score the ball is very, very challenging.”
A first-round matchup between James and Durant is a possibility, especially with the three through six spots in the West standings being so tightly contested.
