Durant on him and LeBron: 'It's cool we're still relevant at an old age' / News - Basketnews.com

Kevin Durant admitted that having LeBron James inactive was supposed to make the game easier for the Nets against the Lakers.

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Kevin Durant recorded a solid 31-point performance but the Los Angeles Lakers outbattled the Brooklyn Nets last night even though LeBron James could not help the team.

Player of the Game EFF 41 Anthony Davis Points 37 Accuracy 15-25 Rebounds 18 Assists 2

Matchups between the two greats are always one of the most anticipated in the league. However, NBA fans haven't had the pleasure of witnessing KD and LeBron clash against each other for almost four years now.

The four previous times when Durant played against the Lakers, all four of them James was not registered for the game.

"I wasn't thinking about it until you started bringing it up," Durant said in the post-game press conference. "He's obviously a top-2, top-3 player to ever play the game so there's always going to be excitement when he steps on the floor."

"We've been around for so long that people have seen so many battles between us two at the highest stage and [which people] look forward to. I guess it's cool that we're still relevant at an old age and people want to come watch us play," KD joked.

Durant later admitted that the Nets expected an easier match with LeBron inactive for the game.

"Tonight they played great without him but usually he's a load to deal with. We needed wins lately so having him off the floor is supposed to be an easier game but they played great tonight," he told.

With 6 wins in 14 games, the Nets are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Lakers host one of the worst records in the league (3-10) and sit in 14th place in the Western Conference.

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