Rockets' Kevin Durant Out for Game 3 vs. Lakers Due to Sprained Left Ankle

2026 Playoffs: West First Round | LAL (4) vs. HOU (5)

Rockets' Kevin Durant out for Game 3 vs. Lakers with a sprained left ankle

Kevin Durant won’t play in Game 3 of Houston’s first-round series against the Lakers on Friday because of a sprained left ankle.

Kristie Rieken | The Associated Press
April 25, 2026 12:08 AM

Rockets fans will have to hope the rest of the squad can pick up an injured Kevin Durant in Game 3.

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HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant won’t play in Game 3 of Houston’s first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night because of a sprained left ankle. Durant also missed the opener of the series because of a bruised right knee. He returned for Game 2 and scored 23 points in 41 minutes of the 101-94 loss that gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead in the series. Austin Reaves also was ruled out shortly before the game after the Lakers had listed him as questionable to return from an oblique injury that has kept him out since April 2.

Coach Ime Udoka said Durant was injured with about seven minutes left in Game 2 when he was chasing down Luke Kennard, but he did not leave the game. “We’ve seen the play and found out when it happened. Just played the remainder of the game and obviously adrenaline and was still loose,” Udoka said. “But afterwards swelled up, some tenderness and got worse over the next day or so.”

Durant’s injury problems this postseason came after the 37-year-old ranked second in the league in the regular season by playing 2,840 minutes. Durant, who is in his first season in Houston after a blockbuster offseason trade from Phoenix, is the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history.

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The 2026 SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament took place April 14-17. The first round of the NBA Playoffs tipped off April 18.