NBAInjury Update
Durant out for Game 1 vs. Lakers with knee inury
Kevin Durant will miss Game 1 against the Lakers due to a knee injury.
ESPN News1 min read
NBAPreview
Rockets give huge Kevin Durant update before Game 1 versus Lakers
TL;DR
Kevin Durant will miss Game 1 of the NBA playoff series against the Lakers due to a knee contusion. The injury occurred during practice earlier this week, but tests showed no structural damage.
Key points
- Kevin Durant will miss Game 1 due to a knee contusion
- Injury occurred during practice earlier this week
- Imaging showed no structural damage to Durant's knee
- Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are also expected to miss the series
Kevin DurantHouston RocketsLos Angeles LakersLuka Doncic
Some felt that Game 1 of the first-round NBA playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets wouldn't be a fair fight because of the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Doncic suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain and Reaves sustained an oblique strain, and with both injuries sustained roughly two weeks ago, both are expected to miss at least most of this series, if not all of it.
But things will be a lot more even for Game 1 on Saturday. Kevin Durant will not play on Saturday due to a knee contusion, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
"The Houston Rockets will be without star Kevin Durant for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers because of a right knee injury sustained at practice this week, Rockets coach Ime Udoka told reporters Saturday," McMenamin wrote.
According to Udoka, the injury occurred on Wednesday. He also said that imaging done on Durant's injured knee didn't reveal any structural damage.
The good news for Houston is that Game 2 won't take place until Tuesday, which will give the future Hall of Famer some time to recover.
Durant, 37, averaged 26 points on 52% field-goal shooting and 41.3% from 3-point range, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists a game during the regular season, and he was named to the All-Star game for the 16th time.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Rockets give huge Kevin Durant update before Game 1 versus Lakers
Q&A
What injury did Kevin Durant sustain before Game 1 against the Lakers?
Kevin Durant sustained a right knee contusion during practice.
Will Kevin Durant play in the NBA playoff series against the Lakers?
No, Kevin Durant will not play in Game 1 of the series against the Lakers.
What is the status of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the playoff series?
Luka Doncic is expected to miss most of the series due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and Austin Reaves is also expected to miss significant time due to an oblique strain.
