LeBron James outduels Kevin Durant, but its Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard that have Lakers up 2-0 on Rockets

LOS ANGELES — Kevin Durant was back for the Rockets. That made the marquee matchup “LeBron James vs. Durant,” a showdown of two of the all-time greats.

LeBron winning that showdown is not why the Lakers are up 2-0 in their series with the Rockets. It’s because of their defense, which forced nine Durant turnovers. And it’s because the Lakers have Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard. That starting backcourt — forced into action because of the injuries sidelining Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves — combined for 48 points on Tuesday night, made huge defensive plays and 3-pointers, which proved to be the difference.
That Lakers’ defense held Durant to three points in the second half and hung on at the end for a 101-94 win that has them holding serve on their home court. The Lakers are up 2-0 as the series heads to Houston on Friday night.

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LeBron earned his share of the spotlight, finishing the night with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He even had a reverse dunk at age 41.

“I don’t even know what that was about,” LeBron said postgame, shaking his head.

The biggest difference in this series through two games is that while both teams are missing key starters — the Rockets have been without point guard Fred VanVleet all season and also don’t have center Steven Adams — it’s the Lakers who have had players step up and fill the roles of their missing stars. LeBron had nothing but praise for Smart and Kennard.

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“He’s battle tested,” LeBron said of Smart. “Guy has been to the Finals, been in multiple playoff games, big games in his career. So obviously, he’s not afraid of the moment, and he’s always been assigned with some of the best players ever played this game in his career. So to have someone like that, it just brings a lot of composure to our team.”

Smart finished with 25 points, seven assists and five steals, most of those against Kevin Durant, who he guarded much of the night. Kennard finished with 23 points and six rebounds, but did so much more as a playmaker and passer.

“He’s a sniper, we understand that, but he does so much more,” LeBron said of Kennard. “He does so much more and…

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Publish date : 2026-04-22 07:12:00

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