The Houston Rockets received bad news for the second time in three games on the Kevin Durant front.
After experiencing another setback during the Rockets’ Game 2 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, Durant’s status for Game 3 was in question the moment the Rockets dropped their injury report on Thursday night.
Ahead of Friday’s action in Houston, Texas, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka explained what happened to the superstar forward.
“He’s a little bit ginger, went through some things at shootaround,” Udoka said, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Michael Shapiro. “Had some swelling in the ankle. We’ll give it a go tonight and see how he feels before the game.”
Ultimately, Durant was ruled out for Game 3.
Kevin Durant’s Battle With Setbacks vs Lakers
Before the series started last weekend, Durant was diagnosed with a knee contusion. He suffered that setback during a practice session in the days leading up to Game 1.
Although Durant was hopeful of playing in Game 1, the Rockets ruled him out. Without him playing in his Houston postseason debut, the Rockets couldn’t overcome the loss of their seasoned superstar.
The Los Angeles Lakers collected a 107-98 victory to open the series.
Ahead of Game 2, the Rockets listed Durant as questionable. Considering the circumstances, it would’ve been a major shock if Durant missed the action as the Rockets trailed in the series.
Sure enough, the Rockets cleared Durant for action. He checked in for 41 minutes. During that time, the star forward shot 58.3% from the field and hit on 1-4 of his shots from three.
Durant wrapped up Game 2 with 23 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. After a slow second half filled with struggles, Durant’s Rockets came up short with a 101-94 loss.
Houston was put in a difficult spot, going into Game 3 with a 0-2 record and without Durant.
The former MVP’s status for Game 4 is unclear. As Durant battles with a knee contusion and a sprained ankle, his availability for the remainder of the series will be something to keep an eye on.