LOS ANGELES — The Houston Rockets will be without star forward Kevin Durant for Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday due to a knee injury, the team announced less than two hours before game time. Durant went through pre-game warmups at Crypto.com Arena but was ruled out with what the team called a right knee contusion.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka said before the game that Durant bumped a knee at practice on Wednesday and hopes his absence is just a “one-game thing.” Udoka said Durant underwent imaging and “nothing major” came up. Houston opened as a 5.5-point favorite against the shorthanded Lakers, who will be without Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique), and the line has since dipped down to 2.5.
In his first season with Houston, Durant missed just four games total during the regular season. The Rockets are 4-0 without Durant in the lineup.
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Durant enters the playoffs averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists since being traded from the Phoenix Suns last offseason. After losing in seven games to the Golden State Warriors in last year’s NBA Playoffs, Houston added Durant to give the team a go-to scoring punch.
Durant’s postseason debut with Houston will have to wait at least a few more days. The Rockets face the Lakers in Game 2 on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
While the Rockets will be without Durant, the Lakers are also dealing with their share of injuries. Dončić (grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Reaves (grade 2 left oblique strain) were both ruled out for Game 1 and don’t have a clear timeline to return.
