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Durant Out! Rockets Face Lakers Without Star
19 Apr
Summary
- Kevin Durant is out for Game 1 with a knee injury.
- Lakers also missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
- Durant's injury occurred during practice on Wednesday.
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant has been ruled out of Game 1 of the playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a knee injury. Coach Ime Udoka confirmed on Saturday night that Durant's bruised right knee is too tender for him to play, though the team is hopeful it's a short-term issue. Durant sustained the injury during practice on Wednesday, hitting his knee in an awkward spot.
Durant, who led the Rockets with 26.0 points per game this season, will be replaced in the starting lineup by Reed Sheppard. The Lakers are also shorthanded, missing NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and guard Austin Reaves indefinitely due to hamstring and oblique injuries, respectively, both sustained on April 2. Their typical recovery time is several weeks.
The absence of both teams' leading scorers injects some hope for the Lakers, who aim to remain competitive long enough for Doncic and Reaves to potentially return later in the postseason. Lakers coach JJ Redick expressed the team's goal to extend the series and create an opportunity for their injured stars to recover.
