Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant is officially listed as questionable with a knee contusion on the latest injury report, ahead of the NBA Playoffs’ first-round Game 1 clash against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
According to reports from ESPN, Durant sustained the knee issue during practice earlier this week. While his status for the series opener is in doubt, the franchise reportedly believes the injury is not a long-term concern and shouldn’t hinder him throughout the rest of the series.
The 16-time All-Star is coming off a stellar regular season with Houston, where he averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, shooting an efficient 52.0% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc across 78 appearances.
Rockets face a short-handed Lakers team
While the Rockets sweat over Durant’s fitness, the Lakers enter the postseason dealing with severe roster issues. Neither Luka Doncic nor Austin Reaves will be available for Game 1 due to injuries sustained during the final stretch of the regular season.
Luka Doncic reacts after suffering an injury vs OKC. (Gett
Doncic is sidelined with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, while Reaves is recovering from a Grade 2 left oblique injury suffered in a recent matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick noted that both players are out indefinitely, leaving their availability for the remainder of the series against Houston in question. “The mindset for our team and for those two guys, like we’re gonna try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point,” Redick said, according to The Athletic’s Dan Woike.
LeBron James returns to center stage
With Doncic and Reaves sidelined, LeBron James will shoulder a massive load, reverting to the primary ball-handling and scoring role he occupied before the Slovenian superstar joined the team. For the Lakers to steal Game 1 at home, LeBron will need to be a constant scoring threat and playmaker to compensate for the missing firepower.
