The Houston Rockets will have Kevin Durant for Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The former MVP missed Game 1 with a knee contusion, but apparently felt good enough pregame on Tuesday to take the court. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka indicated to reporters he will not be on a minutes restriction.
Kevin Durant is on the court going thru his pregame warmup. Appears to be moving well. Ime Udoka will give an update on his status in about 10 minutes. pic.twitter.com/Fa14gKPbkN
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) April 22, 2026
Durant’s health became a surprise factor before the series, when he was initially deemed questionable for Game 1then ruled out. He reportedly sustained the injury in practice, with the Rockets initially optimistic it wouldn’t impact the series.
That didn’t come to pass. With Durant out, the Houston offense was completely out of sync and got out-paced by a Lakers offense led by LeBron James and Luke Kennard, losing 108-97. The Rockets collectively shot 37.6% from the field with 13 turnovers.
Head coach Ime Udoka said, “Hopefully it’s a one-game thing,” in pregame after
Durant was ruled out.
No first-round series has been impacted by injuries more than Lakers-Rockets. In addition to the Rockets missing Durant, the Lakers are missing their top players by points per game in Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, who have both been out since April 2.
Reaves, out with a Grade 2 oblique strain, is reportedly farther along in the recovery process than Dončić, as he’s begun on-court 1-on-1 work and could even make it back to the Lakers by the end of the first-round. Dončić remains out indefinitely with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Game 2 is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET in Los Angeles.
