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:
FILE – In this Jan. 8, 2008, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, left, greets Seattle Supersonics’ rookie Kevin Durant (35) before an NBA basketball game, in Cleveland. LeBron James and Kevin Durant have squared off 23 times, with James holding an 18-5 edge. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)
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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FILE – In this Dec. 13, 2009, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James dunks in front of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, rear, in the second quarter of an NBA basketball in Oklahoma City. LeBron James and Kevin Durant have squared off 23 times, with James holding an 18-5 edge. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
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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FILE – In this Dec. 17, 2015, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, front, drives past Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant in the second half of an NBA basketball game, in Cleveland. LeBron James and Kevin Durant have squared off 23 times, with James holding an 18-5 edge. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
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