LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Durant was ruled out of Houston's playoff opener against the Los Angeles Lakers with a bruised right knee about 90 minutes before tipoff.
The rest of the Rockets were neither ready nor able to pick up the slack.
Houston is in an early postseason hole and the Lakers are feeling awfully good about their upset chances after Los Angeles' 107-98 victory on Saturday night.
Both teams were without their top scorer to begin the first-round series, but only the Lakers responded to the challenge with the necessary determination and production. With Durant, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves — a combined 82.8 points per game — all watching in street clothes, Los Angeles surprisingly controlled Game 1.
While the Lakers got double-digit scoring from all five starters and 60.6% shooting overall, the Rockets didn't have a 20-point scorer or anybody who could make more than 50% of his shots except reserve Tari Eason. Those results were even more disturbing because Houston grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and coach Ime Udoka thought his team got plenty of good looks.
“Whoever (is) playing, we play with them,” Rockets center Alperen Sengun said. "But we missed (Durant) for sure tonight, and hopefully we see him soon.”
Sengun had 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting, while Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson got 17 points apiece on a combined 13 of 38 from the field. Sheppard went 5 for 14 on 3-point attempts, and his teammates combined to hit just six additional 3-pointers.
The Rockets seem confident Durant’s bruised right knee isn’t a long-term problem, although Udoka said Durant’s knee is “very tender. ... Tough to bend in certain ways. Hit it in a very awkward spot, I suppose. Pain tolerance is one part, but (also) limited movement.”
The fifth-leading scorer in NBA history collided with a teammate during practice on Wednesday, and he was added to the Rockets’ injury report on Friday. He led the Rockets with 26.0 points per game this season, his first in Houston.
Durant was a late scratch, while the Lakers have had more than two weeks to adjust to being without Doncic and Reaves, who both got hurt April 2 and are still out indefinitely.
Source: WPLG
