Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will miss Game 1 of the first-round series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets, but it appears they might not be the only big guns not playing that night. The Rockets have released their injury report for the clash, and there’s one surprising name in there.
Kevin Durant (right knee contusion) has been listed as questionable while Steven Adams (left ankle surgery) and Fred VanVleet (right knee ACL repair) remain out.
Durant’s absence would be a massive blow to the Rockets. The 16-time All-Star was remarkably healthy during the regular season, so it would be a real shame if he ends up missing time during the playoffs.
The Rockets saw Durant play in 78 games in 2025-26, the most he’s played in a single campaign since he tore his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals. Of the four games for which the 37-year-old wasn’t available, only one was actually due to injury.
Durant missed the 118-114 win over the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 2 due to a left ankle sprain. Prior to that, he had sat out two games in November 2025 due to personal reasons. As for the last missed game, he was rested for the final regular-season clash against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
You’d imagine Durant suffered this knee issue at some point during practice afterward. He had played 39 minutes in the 136-132 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 10, and there was no mention of any injury after that game. Here’s hoping this is nothing serious and he gets to play Game 1.
Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Rockets in the regular season while shooting 52.0% from the field 41.3% from beyond the arc. Despite his age, he remains their best offensive player, and the Lakers, even without Doncic and Reaves, would be fancying their chances of victory if he can’t play.
Now, one might point out that the Rockets are a perfect 4-0 without Durant this season. The playoffs are a different animal, though, and they absolutely need him out there.
As for the Lakers, only Doncic and Reaves are missing. The former is out with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, while the latter is dealing with a Grade 2 left oblique strain.
Game 1 between the Rockets and Lakers will be played at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
