Kevin Durant will miss another game of the Rockets’ first-round series against the Lakers. Tim Warner / Getty Images
By The Athletic NBA Staff
April 28, 2026Updated 9:19 pm EDT
The Houston Rockets ruled out star forward Kevin Durant for their Game 5 matchup on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Durant has missed all but one game of the first-round series due to injuries to his ankle and knee. The 37-year-old missed only four regular-season games in his first season with Houston after a blockbuster trade last summer.
The Rockets enter Wednesday’s Game 5 in Los Angeles trailing the Lakers 3-1 in the series. Houston finished the regular season 52-30 and secured the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
In Durant’s lone appearance in the series, he scored 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting in a Game 2 loss. Houston was outscored by two points in his 41 minutes on the court. During his 18th NBA season, Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 78 regular-season games. Houston went 4-0 in the regular-season games he missed.
Durant’s scarce involvement in the series has run contrary to what many expected from what could be his final playoff series against LeBron James. They previously matched up in the NBA Finals three times, with James getting the better of Durant once (Miami over Oklahoma City in 2012), and Durant beating LeBron twice (Golden State over Cleveland in 2017 and 2018). Durant was named back-to-back NBA Finals MVP in those series, joining James as two of only six players to accomplish that feat.
The Rockets won 52 games for the second consecutive season but are still searching for the first playoff series win since 2020. Durant was acquired to be the veteran leader, No. 1 scoring option and final piece for a Rockets franchise hoping for its first championship since winning consecutive titles in 1994 and 1995.
The Lakers have also been shorthanded in this series. Luka Dončić remains out indefinitely with a hamstring strain, and the status of Austin Reaves, who is dealing with an oblique injury, is also uncertain for Game 5. Neither player has played in this postseason.
Apr 29, 2026
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