Rockets star Kevin Durant to miss Game 1 of Lakers series

The Lakers are without their own star power with Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) both out indefinitely. Doncic returned to the United States on Friday after receiving specialized treatment on his injured left hamstring in Spain. Before the game, Doncic had not yet reunited with his teammates, but the Lakers looked forward to getting him back on the sideline.

"He's in good spirits and we're excited to see him today," Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game.

Read more: 'He knows the most': How LeBron James sets the tone for Lakers entering playoffs

The Rockets expect to start guard Josh Okogie in Durant's place along with Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun. Udoka expects that the pace will pick up without Durant on the court, especially with Sheppard and Thompson leading the offense.

"We do play faster with those guys," Udoka said. "Amen obviously pushes the pace but Reed's a really good kick ahead guy and our wings get out and run, and off ball, obviously less isolation and post ups for Kevin."

The Lakers finished the regular season with three consecutive wins to hang onto home-court advantage in the first round. The Rockets won nine of their last 10 games.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.