Notable stars dealing with injuries ahead of Game 1<\/p>\n
Much attention has been paid to the injuries suffered by the Lakers\u2019 duo of Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Austin Reaves with only a few games remaining in the season. Friday\u2019s injury report from Los Angeles confirmed both would be missing Game 1 against the Rockets on Saturday night. Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s hamstring is not yet healed<\/a> despite his best efforts, while Reaves\u2019s oblique will likely keep him out<\/a> for a while yet. <\/p>\n As far as their opponent, Houston\u2019s best player and biggest name made a surprising appearance on the injury report. Kevin Durant was included on the Rockets\u2019 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.<\/p>\n Outside of Hollywood, Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards was declared questionable for Saturday afternoon\u2019s clash with the Nuggets due to a knee injury. Edwards missed 11 of Minnesota\u2019s final 14 games with the same injury<\/a> and the Wolves are hoping he\u2019ll be ready to go as they try to make a third straight conference finals run. <\/p>\n Below you\u2019ll find complete injury reports for all four of Saturday\u2019s Game 1s. <\/p>\n Lakers-Rockets injury report<\/p>\n PLAYER<\/p>\n INJURY<\/p>\n STATUS<\/p>\n Luka Don\u010di\u0107, Lakers<\/p>\n Hamstring<\/p>\n OUT<\/p>\n Austin Reaves, Lakers<\/p>\n Oblique<\/p>\n OUT<\/p>\n Kevin Durant, Rockets<\/p>\n Knee <\/p>\n QUESTIONABLE<\/p>\n Don\u010di\u0107 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\u2019 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\u2019s hindered at all Houston will be hard-pressed to score the basketball, which is already a bit of a challenge. <\/p>\n Wolves-Nuggets injury report<\/p>\n PLAYER<\/p>\n INJURY<\/p>\n STATUS<\/p>\n Anthony Edwards, Wolves<\/p>\n Knee<\/p>\n QUESTIONABLE<\/p>\n Peyton Watson, Nuggets<\/p>\n Hamstring<\/p>\n OUT<\/p>\n Spencer Jones, Nuggets<\/p>\n Hamstring<\/p>\n QUESTIONABLE<\/p>\n Edwards\u2019s injury is the most significant to monitor, but don\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n Knicks-Hawks injury report<\/p>\n PLAYER<\/p>\n INJURY<\/p>\n STATUS<\/p>\n Jock Landale, Hawks<\/p>\n Ankle<\/p>\n OUT<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Cavaliers-Raptors injury reoprt<\/p>\n PLAYER<\/p>\n INJURY<\/p>\n STATUS<\/p>\n Immanuel Quickley, Raptors<\/p>\n Hamstring<\/p>\n QUESTIONABLE<\/p>\n Thomas Bryant, Cavaliers<\/p>\n Calf<\/p>\n OUT<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n More NBA from Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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