OAKLAND, Calif. -- It was going to be Kevin Durant's night. We knew that much.

Of all of his career accomplishments, Durant has never been the guy in the truest sense of the term -- he's always had Russell Westbrook or Stephen Curry or Draymond Green, a teammate to take some of the alpha out of his dog. But not on Wednesday night. With five Warriors out, including all of the team's All-Stars not named Kevin Durant, the stage was set for a transcendent K.D. performance. 

And that's exactly what we got -- only not in the way we might have expected.

At times, Wednesday night's game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers looked more like a G League showcase than a battle between the defending champions and one of the NBA's hottest teams. If it wasn't the Alex Caruso-Omri Casspi matchup drawing your attention, maybe it was the much anticipated Ivica Zubac-JaVale McGee post battle.

So nobody would have blamed Durant for putting up 30 shots. Hell, maybe even 40. After all, who was he going to pass the ball to? But look at the box score and you'll see that in the Warriors' 117-106 win, Durant took 19 shots. Not in the first quarter. He took 19 shots total, on his way to 26 points -- a modest total compared to the 39, 40 and 37 that he put up in the previous three games without Curry. In Sunday's loss to the Wolves, Durant hoisted 32 shots.

But on Wednesday Durant didn't need to take that many shots, and most importantly for the Warriors, he didn't force them. He scored when he felt the team needed it, but he led them to victory by making the right play time and time again, even though he probably could have dropped 50 if he wanted to.

"He's just such a smart player that as he goes, he just sort of gauges the game, determines what's needed, and that's what he provides," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said of Durant after the game. "You see him have games where he shoots six or seven times and he's perfectly happy in the locker room.

"That's the beauty of Kevin -- totally unselfish, yet capable of carrying us at any time."

That's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it? "The Beauty of Kevin." It sounds like an Oscar-nominated drama or an inspirational TED Talk. 

In this case, "The Beauty of Kevin" allowed seven Warriors to score in double figures -- two of which, Quinn Cook and Kevon Looney, hadn't reached double figures in a game all season.

Sure, Durant read the game properly, passing out of double teams and picking up hockey assists that don't show up on the stat sheet, but he also displayed poise and leadership that helped teammates who don't often get the chance to contribute in such a big way. He started pumping up the reserves on Tuesday, as soon as he found out the team would be without five regulars. Cook said the key to Durant's leadership was his positivity, encouraging everyone to stay aggressive.

"He's been doing that since yesterday," Cook said after the game. "Today, all morning, being very vocal, and also leading by example, picking guys up when you miss a couple shots or you get beat back door. Instead of criticizing you, he's always bringing you back up. To have that as a leader, it does a lot for our confidence."

It's confidence that the role players will need if Golden State's going to stay afloat for next stretch of games -- at least four, likely more -- without Curry and/or Thompson.

While the Warriors have repeatedly stated that they're not chasing the No. 1 seed, and that health heading into the postseason is of the utmost priority, Kerr's been adamant that he doesn't excuse losing, no matter who's in the lineup. Golden State is currently 1 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets for the best record in the NBA, and with the way Houston is playing, having home-court advantage in a potential Western Conference finals could make all the difference.

Golden State's role players are going to have to step up if they're going to keep pace -- the Rockets have won 19 of 20 and show no signs of slowing -- and they'll also need to shine in crucial spots throughout the postseason if they're going to win a third championship in four seasons. That's why, as a former role player himself, nights like Wednesday bring a smile to Kerr's face.

"These games are good for team morale," Kerr said. "Half my career I was 10th or 12th man and didn't play much, and when I could have a night where I got to contribute it would carry me for another month. Everybody needs that. Everybody needs to feel the impact that they can make."

It took just one glance at the Warriors' bench on Wednesday night to see what Kerr was talking about. It was Curry, in street clothes, jumping off the bench to celebrate a Jordan Bell dunk. It was Andre Iguodala jokingly giving Nick Young a hard time for an uncalled traveling violation before a dagger corner 3. It was the entire bench exploding during garbage time when G League call-up Damian Jones was whistled for a foul on what appeared to be a clean block of Zubac's dunk attempt.

"I just enjoy seeing my teammates shine," Durant said after the game. "I know all eyes are on me, especially with Steph, Klay, Draymond out, and me getting the ball a lot in scoring positions. I start to see them start to send guys off the wings, to the elbows. They were just running and doubling. So, I enjoy seeing that good basketball play being made. ... I know our crowd and the coaching staff does as well.

"It just brings a great energy to us."

Most of us will never understand the restraint it takes to know you can score nearly every time down the court, but choose not to. In a seemingly insignificant mid-March game, Durant wisely decided to put his ragtag group of teammates ahead of himself for a night -- and it just might end up paying dividends in the postseason.