The Houston Rockets will begin their playoff battle against the Los Angeles Lakers without their biggest star, as Kevin Durant has been sidelined due to a right knee injury sustained during practice, head coach Ime Udoka announced prior to Saturday’s series opener.
“He bumped a knee in practice on Wednesday,” Udoka explained. “Hopefully, it’s a one-game thing, but he tried it out just (a) short (time) ago and didn’t feel good enough.”
The veteran forward, now 37 years old and playing in his 19th NBA season, led Houston in scoring this year with 26.0 points per game while also contributing 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Notably, Durant appeared in 78 regular-season contests this year, marking his highest availability since the 2018-19 campaign.
Game 2 of this Western Conference first-round playoff matchup is scheduled for Tuesday in Los Angeles. For Saturday’s opener, Houston’s starting lineup featured forward Jabari Smith Jr., center Alperen Sengun, and guards Josh Okogie, Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard. When Durant last took the court as a starter on April 10 against Minnesota, Sheppard was coming off the bench.
Medical imaging revealed no structural issues with Durant’s injured knee, according to Udoka.
“It’s very tender, tough to bend certain ways,” Udoka described Durant’s condition. “He hit it in a very awkward spot, I guess, more than anything. If he had a regular bumped knee, I think he could kind of play through that. But right above the knee, the patellar tendon area, up there, it’s just very tender and sore.
“Pain tolerance is one thing, but actually limited movement is more the cause (of Durant being out).”
Durant brings an impressive resume to Houston, including 16 All-Star selections, the 2013-14 NBA Most Valuable Player award, 2007-08 Rookie of the Year honors, and six first-team All-NBA selections. He has captured two NBA championships with Golden State in 2017 and 2018.
Throughout his career, Durant has posted averages of 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.1 blocks and 36.7 minutes across 1,201 regular-season appearances, starting 1,198 of those games.
