Houston Rockets Announce Kevin Durant’s Official Status for Game 2 vs Lakers

Kevin Durant watched in civvies on the bench while his Houston Rockets dropped Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday evening. 

Even without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers came out firing behind the boisterous home crowd.

L.A.’s spirit was elevated from jump by the timeless LeBron James, who looked spry and engaged. 

James, 41, masterfully facilitated, picking up eight assists in just the first quarter, as numerous Lakers were set up for easy baskets. 

Along with James’ glorious table-setting, sharpshooting guard Luke Kennard, whom the Lakers acquired just over two months ago at the trade deadline, embraced the Los Angeles playoff stage as he splashed away from the 3-point line and packed a major punch with 27 points, a game-high.

While all that was happening, all Durant could do was watch from the sidelines. The momentum of the series, once falling entirely in the Rockets favor, has swung mightily after one game.

Kevin Durant’s Status for Game 2 Becomes Clearer

Even without Durant, a 16-time All-Star, in the lineup, the Rockets could not have felt great about Game 1’s outcome.

They were thoroughly out-classed, out-played, out-hussled, out-everything’d — even if the numbers tell a completely different story.

The several shots showing Houston head coach Ime Udoka with a disgusted expression plastered to his face said it all.

With the Rockets staring at a 0-2 deficit, the need for Durant grows larger. The 37-year-old Houston star is statistically one of the best postseason performers ever. Even at an advanced age, his contributions cannot be underestimated.

As of Monday evening, the Rockets officially listed Durant as questionable on the injury report. That means there is still some doubt over his availability in Game 2, which is nerve-wracking to say the least.

GettyHouston Rockets forward Kevin Durant

What Even Happened to the Rockets Star?

Durant’s injury was sudden and unexpected by the public. 

According to reports, Durant suffered a knee injury in team practice sometime last week. His knee made contact with a teammate, which caused the injury. 

On Monday, Durant reportedly participated in only half of the Rockets’ practice. 

ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania revealed greater detail on the severity of Durant’s injury.

“My understanding is Kevin Durant is dealing with a deep bruise in his right patellar tendon that he suffered last Wednesday during a practice drill when he was chasing after a loose ball and collided that knee with a teammate,” Charania said on “NBA Today.” “And that has since caused swelling, pain [and] it’s impacted his range of motion in the leg as well. 

“For Kevin Durant to miss a playoff game, that speaks to the severity of the injury in it of itself.”

The Rockets will have to be especially careful with Durant’s injury. The star forward is 37 with a ton of mileage on his legs. It is never advisable to rush an older player through what seems like a tricky lower-body injury. 

Durant has battled injury troubles over his career, most notably an Achilles tendon tear he suffered in his final year with the Golden State Warriors. 

But this season, Durant has been healthy, to his credit, appearing in the most regular season games since the 2018-19 season. His consistent availability this year helped propel Houston to a top five seed in a tough Western Conference.

With just over 24 hours from Game 2, Durant’s exact game status will come into greater focus. The Rockets hope to avoid heading to Houston facing an early series hole.

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