For the first time in five years, two of the players that defined an NBA generation, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, faced off against each other. Both men showed why they are who they are, as Bron’s Los Angeles Lakers defeated KD’s Phoenix Suns 100-95. Both men played heavy minutes because their teams needed them, but is it wise to play them in such fashion so early in the season?
Heavy Minutes In Second Game
Bron played the entire fourth quarter and racked up 21 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. He played defense down the stretch and scored on consecutive possessions and was responsible for the Lakers come-from-behind victory. He played 35 minutes, when there was talk from the team that they would monitor his minutes to ensure the 38-year-old makes it through the regular season as healthy as possible.
“He asked me if I could go the [whole] quarter, and I looked at the time and the score and what was going on in the game, and it was an easy answer for myself,” James said. “I know how much work I’ve put in to be able to play quarters or whatever the case may be. And I understand that we definitely have a system put in place, but tonight called for me to go outside the box.”
Maybe it did, as the Lakers outscored the Suns 28-11 in the fourth. But as the Suns were without Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, it shouldn’t have required Bron to do this in game two of the regular season.
Despite the Suns being shorthanded, the Lakers were outscored by the Suns whenever Bron was off the floor, and that was due to the Suns’ lone superstar.
Players Want To Play Big Minutes But Coaches Have To Protect Them From
KD played 39 minutes and was sublime. He shook off a slow start and erupted in the second half. He finished with 39 points and 11 rebounds. Like the Lakers when Bron wasn’t on the court, the Suns were outscored when the seven-foot sniper sat. He was a team high +18.
But 39 minutes is too many. Suns coach Frank Vogel, with the lead slipping away while KD was on the bench, brought him back into the game earlier than he usually would in the final quarter.
The game was big, as much as it can be this early in the season, so no doubt both men pushed to play. That’s what players of their caliber do.
But they more than anyone know, the regular season is a six-month grind. Their teams have championship aspirations this season and being as healthy as possible in April is the most important thing. If these two are not ready come April or suffer some kind of injury, their teams are dead on arrival.
But commissioner Adam Silver wants his stars to play in big national TV games, health be damned. Bron and KD did their parts on Thursday night. We’ll see the impact as the season progresses.
