The Houston Rockets aren’t wasting any time revealing the availability of Kevin Durant against the Los Angeles Lakers for Game 5 on Wednesday, April 29.
According to the official NBA injury report, Kevin Durant is going to be listed as out. He continues to deal with ankle issues, which popped up during the Rockets’ Game 2 loss on the road in Los Angeles.
Once again, the Rockets are entering the matchup with their season on the line. Despite being viewed as heavy favorites to win the series against the Lakers before the first round started, the Rockets were expected to take advantage of the Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves-less Lakers.
But the Kevin Durant setback put Houston in a tricky spot. Ahead of Game 1, the Rockets listed Durant as questionable due to a knee contusion. He suffered the setback preparing for the first matchup of the playoffs. While it didn’t seem severe, it was enough to keep him out.
The Rockets were stunned by the Lakers initially, collecting a 107-98 loss. During Game 2, the Rockets cleared Durant to play. He checked in for 41 minutes. The star forward went 7-12 from the field, and hit on 8-9 shots from the charity stripe.
Durant’s playoff debut with the Rockets included 23 points, four assists, six rebounds, one steal, and one block. Still, the Rockets lost with him on the court, falling short 101-94. Due to the ankle sprain, Durant missed the Game 3 matchup at home in Houston.
The Rockets seemed to be on the path to winning, but the Lakers had a shocking late-game comeback, which forced overtime. In overtime, the Lakers defeated the Rockets 112-108.
With their backs against the wall, the Rockets finally managed to get a win. In Game 4, LA fell short with a lopsided 115-96 loss. The Rockets hoped that Durant could feel good enough to return for a possible comeback attempt, but the Rockets will continue to compete without him on Wednesday.
The game is set for a 10 PM ET tip on Wednesday.