Rockets Announce Unfortunate Game 1 Decision on Kevin Durant

The first game of the first-round NBA playoff series between the No. 5 seed Houston Rockets and No. 4 seed Los Angeles Lakers will be missing some of the league’s biggest stars.

Houston superstar Kevin Durant was listed as questionable for Game 1 with a knee injury. And just over an hour before tipoff on Saturday night, the Rockets offcially ruled him out.

Durant sustained a right knee contusion during a practice session on Wednesday. The Rockets are reportedly optimistic that the injury won’t be a serious concern moving forward, but it will at least hold him off the court for Saturday night’s Game 1 matchup.

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Durant averaged 26 points per game in his 18th NBA season, shooting 52% from the field and 41.3% from behind the 3-point arc.

The 37-year-old NBA veteran appeared in 78 regular-season games for the Rockets this season, his largest total since playing 78 for the Golden State Warriors in 2018-19.

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The Lakers will be without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as they both deal with their own injuries to begin the 2026 postseason. Doncic is recovering from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and Reaves is dealing with a Grade 2 oblique strain. Both of the Lakers’ top two scorers suffered their injuries during a loss to the reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.

Saturday night’s Game 1 matchup between the Rockets and Lakers will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 5:56 PM.