The NBA playoffs are finally here—but not everybody is hitting the postseason at full strength.
Injuries are an indelible part of professional sports (as well as basketball’s lengthy 82-game season). Every postseason there are a few big names who are nursing some kind of injury as they enter the most important part of the calendar, and just how severe that ailment is can determine the course of the championship race. One need not look far for proof of concept there; during the 2024 playoffs, Jaylen Brown’s knee injury and Aaron Gordon’s hamstring problems carried over from the regular season and helped tilt playoff series—to the cost of their teams.
Thus it’s very much a worthwhile exercise to monitor how the injury reports are shaping up as the playoffs begin. Friday brought the first round of those reports entering Saturday’s opening slate, which features four Game 1s. There are some big names included, battling injury as their teams embark upon the playoff gauntlet.
Notable stars dealing with injuries ahead of Game 1
Much attention has been paid to the injuries suffered by the Lakers’ duo of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves with only a few games remaining in the season. Friday’s injury report from Los Angeles confirmed both would be missing Game 1 against the Rockets on Saturday night. Dončić’s hamstring is not yet healed despite his best efforts, while Reaves’s oblique will likely keep him out for a while yet.
As far as their opponent, Houston’s best player and biggest name made a surprising appearance on the injury report. Kevin Durant was included on the Rockets’ list of injured players, listed as questionable with a knee injury. The future Hall of Famer is at the center of everything his team wants to do and anything slowing down the 37-year-old could be a big problem.
Outside of Hollywood, Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards was declared questionable for Saturday afternoon’s clash with the Nuggets due to a knee injury. Edwards missed 11 of Minnesota’s final 14 games with the same injury and the Wolves are hoping he’ll be ready to go as they try to make a third straight conference finals run.
Below you’ll find complete injury reports for all four of Saturday’s Game 1s.
Lakers-Rockets injury report
PLAYER
INJURY
STATUS
Luka Dončić, Lakers
Hamstring
OUT
Austin Reaves, Lakers
Oblique
OUT
Kevin Durant, Rockets
Knee
QUESTIONABLE
Dončić and Reaves are the only two players out for both teams ahead of the Houston-Los Angeles primetime battle. It will officially be up to LeBron James and the Lakers’ group of role players to survive long enough for their two other stars to return. The Rockets, meanwhile, are missing Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams due to season-ending injuries. But Durant has been largely healthy all season and to see him pop up with a knee contusion is a very unfortunate surprise. If he’s hindered at all Houston will be hard-pressed to score the basketball, which is already a bit of a challenge.
Wolves-Nuggets injury report
PLAYER
INJURY
STATUS
Anthony Edwards, Wolves
Knee
QUESTIONABLE
Peyton Watson, Nuggets
Hamstring
OUT
Spencer Jones, Nuggets
Hamstring
QUESTIONABLE
Edwards’s injury is the most significant to monitor, but don’t underestimate the absence of Peyton Watson for Denver. The young wing broke out in a real way this season before missing much of the final chunk of the season with this persistent hamstring injury. Whether he can come back at full strength during this playoff run will be a big swing factor for the Nuggets and how the Western Conference bracket develops. It certainly matters for this first-round clash between two familiar playoff foes.
Knicks-Hawks injury report
PLAYER
INJURY
STATUS
Jock Landale, Hawks
Ankle
OUT
The only player on the injury report for both teams ahead of Game 1 between New York and Atlanta is Hawks backup center Jock Landale, who is out with an ankle injury. The veteran big man suffered a right high ankle sprain before the postseason and will remain sidelined as he continues to recover. It may prove a notable absence given the lack of size Atlanta suffers from compared to a big Knicks frontline.
Cavaliers-Raptors injury reoprt
PLAYER
INJURY
STATUS
Immanuel Quickley, Raptors
Hamstring
QUESTIONABLE
Thomas Bryant, Cavaliers
Calf
OUT
The biggest names for Cleveland and Toronto have a green light hitting the postseason, which is positive news. But the Raptors will need Immanuel Quickley’s scoring to keep pace with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. The seventh-year point guard was healthy all season, but got pretty banged up in the last month of the year; having him at full strength is a big part of how this series might shape up.
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