Rockets Have ‘Optimism’ Durant Will Play Against Lakers Tuesday

The Houston Rockets are remaining hopeful All-Star forward Kevin Durant will be available against the Los Angeles Lakers for Tuesday’s game, per *The Athletic’s* Sam Amick.

Kevin didn’t speak to media at today’s UCLA shootaround, but – from talking to Rockets folks in the building – there is still a fair amount of optimism that he’ll give it a go tonight.

— Sam Amick (@sam\_amick) April 21, 2026 Durant, 37, missed the opening game of the series, which the Lakers won by a score of 108-97. He reportedly suffered a knee contusion after bumping knees with a teammate during practice the day before the game. The Slim Reaper led the team in scoring during the regular season with 26.0 points per game, and was one of two All-Stars on the team alongside Alperen Sengun. He is one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers of all time, currently ranking fifth in the all-time points leaderboard. While the Rockets remain optimistic about their chances to have Durant back, speculation isn’t a guarantee he will return for the second game in Los Angeles.

Apr 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and forward Kevin Durant (center) watch during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Are the Lakers at Full Strength for Game 2?

While the Lakers had the upper hand due to Durant’s absence in Game 1, they won’t be so lucky if he returns for the second game. Both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been out for nearly a month, and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported neither player is likely to make a return during the first round of the playoffs. Regardless, the Lakers have the opportunity to take a huge 2-0 lead in the series in Tuesday’s game, and will look to do exactly that against a team they’ve beaten three times on the bounce. How confident are you ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday? The post Rockets Have ‘Optimism’ Durant Will Play Against Lakers Tuesday appeared first on LA Sports Report.