Lakers’ Marcus Smart Calls Guarding Kevin Durant “Brutal” Ahead of First-Round Series
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The Los Angeles Lakers open the 2025-26 playoffs against the Houston Rockets this week, and veteran guard Marcus Smart knows exactly where the spotlight will be: on Kevin Durant.
“It’s brutal, man. It’s brutal,” Smart said after practice when asked about the task of defending the former MVP. “Dude is one of the greatest to play this game and he moves like a guard with a big man’s body.”
Smart returned from an ankle injury in late March and helped Los Angeles finish the regular season on a three-game winning streak. Those victories secured the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup with a Rockets squad that also closed strong and is widely viewed as the favorite.
The Lakers will start the series without Luka Doncic, sidelined by a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, and Austin Reaves, leaving LeBron James, Smart and a short-handed rotation to carry the load. Doncic is attempting a comeback later in the round, but the team has offered no timetable.
Los Angeles found success double-teaming Durant in two late-season wins over Houston and is expected to deploy similar tactics. Even so, Smart is likely to spend most possessions as Durant’s primary defender.
“He’s gonna make it tough for us and we’re gonna make it tough for him,” Smart added. “That’s what the playoffs are about.”
The Lakers’ hopes hinge on James recapturing two-way dominance while role players such as Smart contribute timely offense. Houston, meanwhile, features enough perimeter defenders to challenge James, increasing the importance of secondary scoring for Los Angeles.
Smart’s ankle kept him out longer than anticipated, and he described the layoff as “stressful,” but his first game back—a win over the Phoenix Suns—left him feeling “great” heading into the postseason.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series tips off at Toyota Center in Houston.
Source: LakersNation.com
