Overview
- Kendrick Perkins, speaking on Perk Unplugged and The Road Trippin' Show, told Kevin Durant he better not lose to the Lakers and predicted Houston would win the series in five games.
- The matchup is set with Houston finishing 52-30 as the No. 5 seed and opening the first-round series on the road in Los Angeles next week.
- Durant, 37, led the Rockets in scoring this season with 26 points per game across 78 appearances.
- LeBron James has lifted his recent output, averaging 25.5 points over his last four games compared with a 21-point season average.
- Across 14 playoff meetings, Durant holds a 9–5 record against James, a history that is fueling the legacy talk heading into Game 1.