Before the Houston Rockets fired up Game 3 of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, the injury report revealed a major issue: Kevin Durant was set to miss his second game in three outings.
Ahead of Game 1 against the Lakers, Durant was ruled out with a knee contusion. He made his Rockets playoff debut for Game 2, but Durant suffered a separate setback, which put his Game 3 availability in jeopardy.
Durant was downgraded to questionable when the Rockets submitted their initial report on Thursday. Ime Udoka confirmed that there was an ankle issue.
“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.”
The Rockets didn’t have Durant on the court on Friday night for Game 3. In fact, he wasn’t even on the bench, which raised red flags.
Why Wasn’t Kevin Durant On The Bench?
Following the Rockets’ Game 3 loss against the Lakers, Ime Udoka explained Durant’s full absence.
via Will Guillory, The Athletic: Ime Udoka said Kevin Durant wasn’t on the bench tonight because he was getting treatment
It’s not rare for players to be away from a team when they are injured, but that’s typically the case when the injury is long-term, and/or the team is playing away from home.
In this case, Durant is on a day-by-day basis, and the Rockets played in Houston, Texas on Friday. The absence was a little shocking, but Udoka assures the Houston fan base that it was as simple as Durant getting treatment, hoping to be ready for Game 4.
The Rockets Are In Trouble
The Lakers nearly allowed the Rockets to claw one out without KD, but LeBron James and his team managed to force overtime. When they got there, the Lakers closed the game out with a 112-108 win.
With the Rockets going down 0-3, they are in a do-or-die setting every night moving forward. Game 4 will take place on Sunday, April 26.
Durant’s status for that game is likely up in the air.