The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2026 playoffs, and that means we’ll get to see two great rivals face off in the playoffs one more time. LeBron James and Kevin Durant have had some epic postseason battles over the years, and this will be the fourth time the two icons play against each other in a series.
With another titanic tussle on the horizon, we decided to look back at James and Durant’s previous playoff matchups and how their teams have fared in the postseason in recent years.
Playoffs Head To Head
2012 NBA Finals: James’ Miami Heat beat Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1
2017 NBA Finals: Durant’s Golden State Warriors beat James’ Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1
2018 NBA Finals: Durant’s Golden State Warriors beat James’ Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0
Durant has won two of the three playoff series between them and has an excellent 9-5 record against James in the postseason. It hasn’t always been a fair fight, though.
The first meeting was all the way back in the 2012 NBA Finals. Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder were seen as a narrow favorite against James’ Miami Heat. The Thunder overcame an early deficit to win Game 1 105-94, and it looked like the Heat might be headed toward a second straight Finals defeat.
James had infamously melted down against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, but he rose to the occasion in 2012. He helped the Heat win the next four games to clinch their second NBA title.
While it was a disappointing end to the season for Durant and the Thunder, it seemed inevitable that they’d win the title at some point. It wasn’t to be, though.
The Thunder would repeatedly come up short in the playoffs, with the worst of the losses being when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. That would prove to be Durant’s final series with the Thunder. He decided to join the Warriors in the offseason, a decision he gets criticized for even today.
Durant completely shifted the balance of power with his move. James’ Cleveland Cavaliers had come back from down 3-1 to beat the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, but they were given little to no chance when the teams met again in 2017. A team with Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green was always going to be next to impossible to beat, and that proved to be the case.
The Warriors looked set to complete a sweep when they went up 3-0 in the Finals, but the Cavaliers managed to win Game 4 137-116. There was some chatter about another miraculous comeback after that, but that was never going to happen. The Warriors won Game 5 129-120 to be crowned champions.
James then suffered a huge blow in the following offseason as his co-star, Kyrie Irving, handed in a trade request. Irving would eventually be traded to the Boston Celtics for a haul that proved to be quite underwhelming. James still managed to drag the Cavaliers to the Finals, but they were no match for that Warriors juggernaut and got swept.
With how often James and Durant had met in the playoffs up to that point, you wouldn’t have imagined it would take eight years for them to face off again.
Averages In Playoff Meetings
LeBron James’ Averages: 31.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game
Kevin Durant’s Averages: 31.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game
James and Durant have averaged about the same number of points in their 14 meetings. They have both been efficient as well, shooting over 50.0% from the field. Durant is at 54.5% while James is at 52.2%. According to ESPN Insights, they are the only duo in NBA history to meet in 10 or more playoff games and each average over 30 PPG.
As for the other categories, James has unsurprisingly fared better. He is the more complete player and has close to double the assists.
James even averaged a triple-double in the 2017 Finals, but had nothing to show for it. Durant was the one named Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018. James did win it in 2012, though.
Recent Playoff History
LeBron James:
2025: Lost in First Round
2024: Lost in First Round
2023: Lost in Western Conference Finals
2022: Missed Playoffs
2021: Lost in First Round
James led the Lakers to the NBA championship in 2020, but has had very little playoff success since. He has only gotten out of the first round once in 2023. The Lakers impressively made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, but got swept there by the Denver Nuggets.
Kevin Durant:
2025: Missed Playoffs
2024: Lost in First Round
2023: Lost in Conference Semifinals
2022: Lost in First Round
2021: Lost in Conference Semifinals
Durant hasn’t had a lot of playoff success either since he tore his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals. He has gotten out of the first round twice, but hasn’t reached the Conference Finals. Durant failed to even get to the playoffs with the Phoenix Suns in 2025 and will be keen to make an impact now. He should come out victorious in this latest battle, too.
James has seen his co-stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves go down with injuries. They’re both unlikely to feature in this series, which makes the Rockets huge favorites. It’s going to take a Herculean effort from James to even extend this series beyond four games.
