With bruised knee, Kevin Durant questionable for Rockets-Lakers Game 1
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers might not be the only team missing an All-Star to open their 2026 first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
Kevin Durant is listed as questionable for Saturday’s Game 1 with a right knee contusion, according to the NBA’s latest injury report. That could indicate that Durant banged knees at one of this week’s practices, or perhaps suffered a fall to the court.
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The next update from the Rockets will come when head coach Ime Udoka meets with the media about an hour-and-a-half prior to Saturday night’s tipoff in Los Angeles.
Should Durant be unavailable, reserves Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard would presumably be in line for increased minutes and scoring opportunities. Incumbent starters Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr. could all have their usage increase, as well.
The first three Rockets-Lakers games all have two off days between games, so that could provide Durant with additional time to rest, if needed. Game 2 is Tuesday night, also in Los Angeles.
The Houston Rockets report that Kevin Durant is questionable for Game 1 with a right knee contusion
— Law Murray 🪺 (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 18, 2026
The Lakers have ruled out Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. James, Smart, Ayton, Hachimura, Kennard, LaRavia, Hayes, Vanderbilt, Kleber, James, Thiero, Knecht, Smith available
With Los Angeles (53-29, No. 4 in Western Conference) expected to be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves — the two leading scorers on the Lakers — for most or all of the series, Houston enters as a heavy favorite. However, any uncertainty surrounding Durant could make the series much more of a toss up.
Durant led Houston (52-30, No. 5 in West) in scoring this season, averaging 26.0 points (52.0% FG, 41.3% on 3-pointers), 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 36.4 minutes per game.
At 37 years old, Durant was extremely durable for the Rockets, having played in 78 of 82 regular-season games. Only one of his four absences was due to injury, a minor ankle sprain suffered in early February.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: With bruised knee, Kevin Durant questionable for Rockets-Lakers Game 1