Kawhi Leonard vs. Kevin Durant is historic matchup, and Clippers star can join Kobe in exclusive company
Leonard has outscored Durant in both games of Suns-Clippers so far
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2 min read
Warriors-Kings and Grizzlies-Lakers have been highly entertaining first-round series so far, but the clear big-ticket superstar vs. superstar matchup in the first round is Clippers-Suns, featuring two of the best players in the NBA, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant.
Their heavyweight matchup hasn't disappointed as the series is tied one game a piece as it heads back to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Leonard has outscored Durant in both games so far this series, 38-27 in Game 1, and 31-25 in Game 2, although both are playing great basketball. Leonard now enters Game 3 trying to pull off something only Kobe Bryant has accomplished.
Bryant is the only player to outscore Durant in three straight playoff games within a series. He did this in the final three games of the 2012 Western Conference semifinals, which happened to be the final three games of his playoff career.
Not an easy feat considering Thursday will be Durant's 158th career playoff game in 16 career seasons.
Durant's game hasn't lagged behind either as the duel between these players is off to a historic start. It's the second time ever that opposing players opened the postseason with back-to-back 25-point, five-rebound and five-assist games against each other. The only other time it happened was in 2017 when LeBron James and Paul George did it against each other in the first round.
It's the type of performance you would hope for between two of the most accomplished players in playoff history. This is just the sixth series in NBA history between players entering with multiple Finals MVPs. The last time it happened was nine years ago when LeBron James and Tim Duncan squared off in the 2014 NBA Finals.
Series between players with multiple Finals MVPs
| Series | Matchup |
|---|---|
2023 first round | |
2014 NBA Finals | |
2008 first round | Tim Duncan (Spurs) vs Shaquille O'Neal (Suns) |
2004 conference semifinals | Tim Duncan (Spurs) vs Shaquille O'Neal (Lakers) |
1996 first round | |
1987 NBA Finals | Larry Bird (Celtics) vs Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lakers) |
The duel is especially sweet given Leonard and Durant's injury history. Durant tore his Achilles against Leonard's Raptors in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Leonard missed all of last season after partially tearing his ACL in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
This promises to be a historic duel the way both are going toe-to-toe and lighting up the scoreboard so far in the series.
