Kevin Durant versus Kawhi Leonard- A look back on the previous matchups between these two superstars
The Western Conference playoff bracket is set, with former NBA champions Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard squaring off in Round 1. Durant's Phoenix Suns sealed a homecourt berth by clinching the fourth seed with a 45-37 record.
Meanwhile, Leonard's Clippers qualified fifth with a 44-38 record after beating their first-round opponents in their season finale. The Suns were without their core of Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, giving LA an easy chance to secure a playoff spot and avoid the play-in tournament.
Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard have played 34 games against each other in the regular season and playoffs combined. Durant holds a 19-15 head-to-head advantage over Leonard. They are tied 7-7 in the regular season and 12-8 in favor of KD in the postseason.
Durant has averaged 27.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists, while Leonard has tallied 17.7 games, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game across these 35 matchups. The two last faced each other on Feb. 2, 2021, when Durant was with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Phoenix Suns All-Star led the Nets to a 124-120 win, bagging 28 points and nine rebounds on 11-of-13 shooting. Meanwhile, Leonard had 33 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals, shooting 50%.
Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard's biggest game against each other was during the 2019 Finals Game 5 between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors. However, Durant played only 13 minutes in that game, exiting the contest with a season-ending Achilles tear.
Their best game against each other in the regular season or playoffs was during the Raptors' 131-128 OT win over the Warriors on Nov. 29, 2018. Kevin Durant went off for 51 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in that game, while Kawhi Leonard had 37 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Both shot roughly 58% in that game.
Only players with 20+ PPG, 50+ FG% and 40+ 3P% this season:
— Kevin Durant
— Kawhi Leonard
And they’re meeting in the first round. https://t.co/PvRP4fwnAM
Durant has been better in their previous matchups, having outscored Leonard 20 times, out-rebounded him six times and recorded more assists 17 times. Leonard has edged Durant in only one category: steals, 15 times.
Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard make Clippers vs. Suns the most unpredictable first-round series this year
The Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers are two of the hot favorites to make the finals this year. However, only one team will advance to the second round. The Western Conference standings got blown wide open, resulting in the two teams finishing fourth and fifth this season.
The first-round clash, a potential conference finals series if the standings were any different, will be a part of one of the most unpredictable first-round series in playoff history. The credit goes to two-time NBA champions and two finals MVPs, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.
“He got the longest paragraph on the scouting report, he can pretty much do everything”
- Kevin Durant explaining what makes Kawhi special. https://t.co/jLKN0A10XJ
The Suns enter the series as marginal favorites as the Clippers could be without Paul George. However, Russell Westbrook's resurgence over the past few games keeps LA in the hunt to send Durant home in the first round for the second consecutive year.
KD sustained a first-round loss against the Celtics as a Net last season. It was a series sweep loss, which seems like an unlikely scenario between the Suns and Clippers.