The player comparisons ahead of a matchup stir up the level of excitement surrounding it. Something similar happened recently as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns met in the pre-season. It was Kevin Durant’s 1st match in the NBA against LeBron James in 5 years as comparisons took forefront.

The Lakers duo of James and Anthony Davis came out on top in the discussion. AD, in particular, was deemed better than Suns’ Devin Booker, heating up the entire scenario.

What exactly happened?

Nick Wright drew comparisons between the duos from two Western Conference giants ahead of their game. In the latest episode of FIRST THINGS FIRST, he mentioned, “LeBron is better than Durant,” to start the argument. He emphasized his point, saying, “He just is,” before backing it up with facts.

According to the NBA analyst, the 38-year-old “plays more” and was “healthier” than KD. Nick then highlighted how the 2-time champion was “not more available, not more reliable, not more versatile” than James. He then put forward their stats from the last three seasons to establish his beliefs.

“I think that we all agree AD is better than Devin Booker,” Wright added, to put the spotlight on the Lakers entirely. Showing his faith in the 2020 NBA championship-winning duo, he talked about their superiority over the Suns’. His comments added a new layer of drama over LeBron and Kevin’s first matchup since 2018.

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As the pre-season neared an end, the world took notice of Nick’s words. This made us wonder about one thing.

The stalled rivalry between LeBron James and Kevin Durant

Once the leading faces of the league, their competition gave birth to a few of the most iconic games. Going up against each other in the NBA finals three times, Durant has the 2-1 lead over the 4-time champion. Since then, their rivalry has lost its hype, mainly due to the unavailability of the superstars.

They last played against each other in a regular season back on Christmas Day in 2018. Interestingly, it was the 19-time All-Star’s debut season at the Lakers and Kevin’s last campaign with the Golden State Warriors. James had the last laugh back then. So, the 2014 MVP has a lot of ground to cover.

Watch This Story: “Without Kevin Durant, LeBron (James) Got Steph in His Back Pocket”: Ex-Teammates Give Lakers Superstar an Upper Edge for 5th Ring

With the league playing down on the capabilities of the Suns, it’s high time for Kevin to take charge. After months of doubts, it’s time for him to show the league who he is one more time..