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4w ago

Lakers Take Game 1 After Rockets Rule Kevin Durant Out With Knee Contusion

Houston calls Durant day-to-day after imaging found no structural damage.

Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) take the opening tip during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
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Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles as Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga (0) and forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) defends during the first half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Overview

  • Kevin Durant was ruled out Saturday with a right knee contusion after testing the injury in warmups, and coach Ime Udoka said he hopes it is a one-game absence.
  • The Lakers won the series opener 107-98 at Crypto.com Arena, capitalizing on Houston’s late scratch to hold home court.
  • Udoka said scans showed no structural damage and described the area above Durant’s patellar tendon as very tender with limited bend, keeping his movement restricted ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday.
  • Houston replaced Durant in the first five with Reed Sheppard alongside Josh Okogie, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün, shifting toward a faster pace and fewer isolations.
  • The Lakers played without Luka Dončić (Grade 2 left hamstring strain) and Austin Reaves (Grade 2 left oblique strain), who remain out indefinitely, and Dončić returned to Los Angeles on Friday after two weeks of treatment in Europe.