HOUSTON (AP) — While Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant is showing signs of improvement with his left ankle injury, his availability for Wednesday evening’s pivotal Game 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers remains doubtful.
The veteran forward was absent from Tuesday’s team practice session before the Rockets departed for California, where they face elimination trailing 3-1 in their first-round playoff series. However, Durant was observed working out on an anti-gravity treadmill as his teammates concluded their preparation before traveling.
When Head Coach Ime Udoka was questioned about the possibility of Durant suiting up for Game 5 after being sidelined for the previous two contests due to a sprained left ankle and bone bruise, he remained cautiously optimistic.
“We’ll see,” Udoka said. “It is day to day, game to game. But we’ll have to get on the court and do some things, and he didn’t participate in practice today. But he’s doing the conditioning and other aspects to try to get back.”
Durant’s absence has been felt throughout the series, having missed three total games after sitting out the series opener with a bruised right knee. The 37-year-old managed to return for the second game, contributing 23 points over 41 minutes in a 101-94 defeat, but sustained the ankle injury in the closing moments of that contest.
Houston managed to stave off elimination in Game 4 with an impressive 115-96 victory, even without their star player on the court.
The injury setbacks come after Durant logged heavy minutes during the regular season, accumulating 2,840 minutes to rank second league-wide. This marks his debut season with Houston following an offseason trade from Phoenix.
Durant, who holds the distinction of being the NBA’s fifth all-time leading scorer, will be crucial if the Rockets hope to mount an unlikely comeback in the series.
