The Rockets suffered a frustrating 98-107 loss to the Lakers in Game 1 of a playoff series that they hoped to sweep away in four games. Majorly, since just hours before the tipoff, the Rockets’ superstar, Kevin Durant, was declared unavailable to play due to a right knee contusion.
Durant sat on the sidelines in street clothes as he witnessed LeBron James nearly put up a triple-double at age 41 to put away his team. Since the game was at the Lakers’ home arena, the fans were ecstatic about James’ performance, and one of them seemingly said something to Durant about it that triggered him.
A video has gone viral of Kevin Durant engaging in an apparently intense back-and-forth with a Lakers fan, who is behind the camera in the footage, yelling at the 37-year-old Rockets star. Durant was clearly not having any of it.
“Get that grown man d— out of your mouth,” Durant yelled. The 37-year-old was simply greeting Travis Scott and other people that he knew on the sidelines before leaving the arena. But the fan’s constant chatter from behind eventually got to the Rockets’ star.
“Keep that d— out of your mouth, you’re [inaudible] yourself,” Durant said.
Kevin Durant to a Lakers fan 💀
“Get that grown man d**k out ya mouth”
(Via CollegeUnc/TT) pic.twitter.com/tVVasTifHC
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 19, 2026
Clearly, Durant was unhappy that he was missing the action while having to watch LeBron James and Luke Kennard tear his team apart right before his eyes.
LeBron James dropped 19 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds on 60% shooting efficiency from the field, just two rebounds short of a triple-double. Meanwhile, Luke Kennard led all scorers for the Lakers with 27 points, four rebounds, and three assists on 69.1% shooting efficiency from the floor.
According to the Athletic’s senior NBA writer, Sam Amick, Durant is very frustrated about the timing of this injury and having to miss probably the most crucial game of the season so far due to a collision with his teammate.
“According to several people who watched his routine, his frustration with the brutally timed situation was impossible to miss,” Amick wrote in his report. He also noted that the Rockets’ star “was clearly coming to grips with the fact that he’d have to sit this playoff opener out.”
Durant’s status is currently day-to-day, but the Rockets are optimistic that he will be back in time for Game 2 of the series, and unlike the Lakers with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, they are not at risk of having to play potentially the entire series without their star player.
If the Rockets have to play without Durant in Game 2, they will potentially have a mountain to climb when he returns. They will face the Lakers in Los Angeles for Game 2 on Tuesday, April 21. Houston fans remain on the edge of their seats for an update on their superstar.
