LeBron James and Kevin Durant have squared off 23 times, with James holding an 18-5 edge. With the basketball world anticipating a LeBron-KD, Cavaliers-Warriors NBA Finals rematch, here’s a look at how the All-Stars have fared against each other:
REGULAR SEASON:
Jan. 8, 2008
James’ line: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists:
Durant’s line: 24 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
Winner: James. The Cavaliers won easily 95-79. This was the only game of the rivalry played when Durant was a rookie on the Seattle SuperSonics.
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Nov. 26, 2008
James’ line: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Durant’s line: 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Winner: James. The Cavs jumped out a huge halftime lead and won 117-82. This was when Oklahoma City was really struggling - the Thunder had a 1-15 record after this loss.
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Dec. 21, 2008
James’ line: 31 points, 4 rebounds 7 assists
Durant’s line: 26 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
Winner: James. The first mildly competitive game of the season, James has to play nearly 43 minutes to make sure Cleveland pulls away for a 102-91 win. James shot 14 of 24 from the field while Durant was 9 of 17.
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Dec. 13, 2009
James’ line: 44 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists
Durant’s line: 29 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Winner: James. Oklahoma City had a slim halftime lead, but Cleveland roared back for the 102-89 win. It was a vintage performance for James, who finished 16 of 29 from the field and also had four steals.
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Jan. 23, 2010
James’s line: 37 points, 9 rebounds 12 assists
Durant’s line: 34 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists
Winner: James. As Oklahoma City becomes more competitive, the games with Cleveland get closer. In this one, the Cavaliers barely hung on for a 100-99 win. James nearly finishes with a triple double.
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Jan. 30, 2011
James’s line: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 13 assists
Durant’s line: 33 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist
Winner: James. He switched teams to the Miami Heat in the offseason, but the rivalry remains one-sided. The Heat pulled away for a 108-103 victory.
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March 16, 2011
James’ line: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Durant’s line: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists
Winner: Durant. He got his first victory against LeBron, shooting 12 of 21 from the field in a 96-85 win. James had an off night, shooting just 8 of 21 from the field.
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March 25, 2012
James’ line: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists
Durant’s line: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists
Winner: Durant. He wins his second straight, leading the Thunder to a relatively easy 103-87 victory. Durant shoots 11 of 20 from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
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April 4, 2012
James’ line: 34 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists
Durant’s line: 30 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Winner: James. He got back into the win column vs. Durant with a 98-93 victory. James shoots 10 of 20 from the field, 3 of 7 from 3-point range and 11 of 13 on free throws.
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Dec. 25, 2012
James’ line: 29 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists
Durant’s line: 33 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Winner: James. The first Christmas duel for James and Durant ends with the Heat pulling away for a 103-97 victory. James finishes 12 of 20 from the field.
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Feb. 14, 2013
James’ line: 39 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists
Durant’s line: 40 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Winner: James. Both players put up big numbers in the Heat’s 110-100 win, but the game really wasn’t that close.
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Jan. 29, 2014
James’ line: 34 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
Durant’s line: 33 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Winner: Durant. He gets maybe his most impressive win against a James’ team, leading the Thunder to a 112-95 win despite the absence of injured guard Russell Westbrook.
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Feb. 20, 2014
James’s line: 33 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Durant’s line: 28 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Winner: James. He and the Heat bounce back with a 103-81 win. James has a stellar game, shooting 15 of 22 from the field.
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Jan. 25, 2015
James’ line: 34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
Durant’s line: 32 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists
Winner: James. He moved back to Cleveland in the offseason, but the dominance over Durant continues with a 108-98 victory.
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Dec. 17, 2015
James’ line: 33 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists
Durant’s line: 25 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists
Winner: James. He nearly gets a triple-double in a 104-100 win.
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Feb. 21, 2016
James’ line: 25 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists
Durant’s line: 26 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Winner: James. Cleveland cruises to a 115-92 victory. James shoots 11 of 22 from the field and he’s helped by Kevin Love, who had a team-high 29 points.
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Dec. 25, 2016
James’ line: 31 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists
Durant’s line: 36 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists
Winner: James. Durant moves to Golden State in the offseason, but James and the Cavaliers still triumph 109-108. LeBron shoots 12 of 22 from the field.
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Jan. 16, 2017
James’ line: 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Durant’s line: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
Winner: Durant: Golden State crushes Cleveland 126-91. Durant has 21 points and is helped Klay Thompson’s 26 points and Stephen Curry’s 20. James has arguably his worst game against a Durant squad, shooting just 6 of 18 from the field.
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Averages:
James’ line: 28.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists
Durant’s line: 28.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists
James 14-4 regular season record vs. Durant
PLAYOFFS (2012 FINALS)
June 12, 2012
James’ line: 30 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists
Durant’s line: 36 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists
Winner: Durant. Oklahoma City takes Game 1 105-94. Durant has a stellar game, shooting 12 of 20 from the field, and Westbrook chips in with 27 points.
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June 14, 2012
James’s line: 32 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists
Durant’s line: 32 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Winner: James. Durant had a chance to tie the game in the final 10 seconds, but missed a baseline jumper and Miami escaped with a 100-96 win. It was sour end to a great game for Durant, who shot 12 of 22 from the field.
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June 17, 2012
James’ line: 29 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists
Durant’s line: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists
Winner: James. Miami pulls out a 91-85 win in Game 3 to take control of the series.
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June 19, 2012
James’ line: 26 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists
Durant’s line: 28 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Winner: James. Miami wins 104-98 and James has a great all-around game, finishing one rebound short of a triple-double. He shoots 10 of 20 from the field.
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June 21, 2012
James’ line: 26 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists
Durant’s line: 32 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
Winner: James. Durant is terrific, shooting 13 of 24 from the field, but nothing can stop the Heat on the way to a 121-106 victory and the NBA title. LeBron gets his first - and only - triple-double in the series.
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2012 Finals averages:
James’ line: 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists
Durant’s line: 30.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists
James has a 4-1 record vs. Durant in playoffs
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Source: www.basketball-reference.com .
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