LeBron James, Kevin Durant Set for First Matchup Since Christmas 2018

At least one of them has somehow always been sidelined every time their teams met during the regular season.

For the first time in almost five years, longtime rivals LeBron James and Kevin Durant will face-off in a regular season game Thursday night. The last time the two all-time greats dueled it out, it was Christmas Day 2018. 

During that matchup all those years ago, James suffered a groin strain in the Cavaliers’ win against Durant’s Warriors and the two have missed each other ever since in 13 possible matchups. 

During the 2018–19 season, James missed out on three potential matchups with Durant because of the groin strain, load management and rest. Durant missed the entire 2019–20 season while rehabbing his torn Achilles. And in the 2020–21 season, the two missed each other on two occasions because James was dealing with an ankle injury and Durant had a hamstring issue. 

Durant had to miss his two matchups against Los Angeles in the 2021–22 season because of COVID–19 protocols followed by a knee sprain. Finally, the two missed each other another four times last year for a myriad of injuries. James missed time due to abductor strain along with both an ankle and a foot injury. Meanwhile, Durant missed time due to an ankle and knee injury. 

Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) defends Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the first quarter at Acrisure Arena :: Kiyoshi Mio/USA TODAY Sports

The two finally met on the court on Oct. 19 during the preseason but both played limited minutes. This time, the two stars will surely be on the court more for their respective squads. Tip-off between the Lakers and Suns is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET in Los Angeles on TNT.