LOS ANGELES -- The Houston Rockets had Kevin Durant back for Game 2 of their first-round matchup Tuesday. So the Lakers had Marcus Smart guard him in their 101-94 win to take a 2-0 series lead.
"It was good for them to have KD out there for them," Smart said, "and it was good for us to be able to do what we did tonight against him."
Durant returned from a right knee injury that kept him out of Game 1 to score 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting -- but shot just 1-for-3 and committed three of his playoff career-worst nine turnovers in the 18 possessions he was defended by Smart, according to ESPN Research.
"He's not afraid of the moment," said LeBron James, who led L.A. with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. "He's always been assigned some of the best players that [have] ever played this game in his career. So, to have someone like that it just brings a lot of composure to our team.