In the first postseason meeting between LeBron James and Kevin Durant outside of the NBA Finals, James and the Los Angeles Lakers came out on top.

James scored 28 points — including 14 in the fourth quarter — to propel the Lakers to a 101-94 win over Durant and the Houston Rockets.

Durant scored 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the first half and finished with 23 points and nine rebounds. Much like in Game 1, the Lakers never built a comfortable cushion, but they consistently kept the Rockets at arm’s length.

Game 3 is Friday in Houston.

Here are our immediate takeaways from Los Angeles:

KD vs. LeBron

Even if James and Durant had become shadows of their former selves, hanging on in the late stages of their legendary careers, logging 15 minutes a night, it would have been fun to see them share the playoff stage again for the first time in eight years. But this was not that. Not even close.

All these years later, the 41-year-old James and 37-year-old Durant were still trading proverbial punches, still the most important players on their respective teams (with Luka Dončić out for the Lakers, of course). In that respect, it was just like the old days.

James finished with a team-high 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, including a wide-open dunk with 55 seconds left that put the Lakers up seven and all but sealed it. Durant, who missed Game 1 with a right knee injury suffered in practice, had a team-high 23 points, six rebounds and four assists, though he was limited to just three points in the second half.

Yet in another way, this matchup was entirely different from those that came before. This marked the first time James and Durant faced off in the postseason while playing in the same conference, with all 14 of their previous meetings coming during the finals. In 2012, James’ Miami Heat beat Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder in six games. In 2017 and 2018, Durant’s Warriors beat James’ Cavaliers in five and four, respectively. Durant still holds the overall lead, with a 9-6 record against James in the postseason. — Sam Amick, senior NBA writer  

The Marcus Smart game

You can’t waste a Marcus Smart game.

Of all the Lakers most excited to play meaningful basketball, the veteran guard, who spent his post-Boston career in Memphis and Washington — has openly talked about wanting another shot at the playoffs.

With the Lakers struggling early in Game 2, Smart helped shift the tone. He stripped Kevin Durant and dove for a loose ball, then followed it with timely shooting, quickly pushing his fingerprint on the game.

It was the 110th playoff game of his career. He closed it with big shots, key free throws and a massive steal — finishing with 25 points, his highest playoff total since 2020. — Dan Woike, Lakers writer 

Marcus Smart set the tone with 17 first-half points, hitting 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. (Jayne Kamin / Oncea-Imagn Images)

Durant stalls

It’s almost impossible to envision Durant having more turnovers than points in a half, especially in a game his team desperately needs. But that’s exactly what happened in the second half of an atrocious Rockets’ Game 2 loss to the Lakers.

Durant, who returned to the court after missing Game 1 with a right knee contusion, had just three points and five turnovers after halftime as the Lakers frustrated him with relentless double-teams at the top of the key and complicated zones took away his passing lanes.

The Rockets’ lack of outside shooting or any real counter to the Lakers’ defensive schemes — left the offense stuck for much of the night. The Rockets finished with 94 points, four fewer than they scored in Game 1 without Durant.Now they head back to Houston in an 0-2 hole, with pressure mounting on a team suddenly searching for answers. — Will Guillory, Rockets writer 

More to come.