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Kevin Durant was ruled out of Game 1 of the Houston Rockets opening-round playoff series. While Durant has only missed one game so far, there is still concern that the injury could keep him out longer.
“Should be a reasonable amount of concern around Durant’s knee injury - missed just 4 games this season. Undoubtedly played through plenty of minor injuries throughout the year. Would imagine he was pretty limited when he tested it today,” The Athletic’s Dan Woike posted.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka revealed that Durant hit his knee in an awkward spot, making movement more difficult than usual.
“Rockets coach Ime Udoka says that Kevin Durant hit the knee “in an awkward spot” above the patella tendon during practice Wednesday. Udoka says imaging showed “nothing major” but that Durant’s knee is “very tender and tough to bend in certain ways.” Not sure how long he’ll be out,” Fox Sports’ Rachel Nichols wrote.
Not having Durant will hurt the Rockets’ offensive production for obvious reasons. However, with Durant sidelined and the Los Angeles Lakers winning Game 1, Luka Doncic potentially returning becomes increasingly likely.
“And then, so he just came back to LA today, rejoined the team, and will be there tomorrow for game one. So with him, typically, a grade two hamstring is about three to six weeks. So there’s a chance, maybe he comes back in the middle of the series, but also with hamstring strains, you’ve got to be careful,” Lakers insider Jovan Buha said.
With the Lakers winning Game 1, the series now has the potential to extend, giving Dončić more time to recover without being rushed. This creates an unfavorable situation for the Rockets, as Los Angeles could add another major weapon to its lineup.
If Durant misses Game 2 and the Lakers take a 2-0 lead, the veteran may feel pressure to return sooner than expected. However, rushing back could risk further injury. At this point, everything surrounding Durant’s status remains uncertain.
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