The Houston Rockets hope Kevin Durant will be passed fit to face the LA Lakers in Game 4 of the first-round series on Sunday. This is a must-win game for the Rockets, as another loss at home to the Lakers would officially end their season.
Durant suffered a brutal setback with a sprained ankle at the worst possible time. He was a late scratch in Game 1, which the Lakers won 107-98, and then played a team-high 41 minutes in Game 2, which also ended in a 101-94 defeat. The 16-time All-Star also missed Friday’s Game 3. He was not even on the sidelines watching as the Rockets fell 112-108 in an overtime loss and now sit on the brink of elimination from the playoffs.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said he doesn’t know if Durant will be ready for Sunday’s showdown, but they are going to give it a “try.”
“I think there’s some soreness and (he’s) pushed a lot of swelling out, but it’ll be a matter of if he can go,” Udoka said. “We’ll try it out I’m sure tomorrow (Sunday) morning and before the game, and we’ll know his status then.. but he’s doing everything he can to get back.”
If the Rockets hope to avoid being swept, they will need Durant at the top of his game. He will still be a game-time decision, and they must now wait to see if the swelling reduces enough to allow the 37-year-old to play.
In Durant’s absence, the Rockets were close in Game 3, leading the Lakers by six points with 30 seconds to go. However, a brutal final stretch saw the Lakers completely turn the game around, bringing Houston to the verge of yet another first-round exit.
Their lack of proper response during clutch moments cost them the game, and they got away from what was working well. They now find themselves in a very tough spot heading into Game 4, where no team in league history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. All they can do now is take it one game at a time and put their best foot forward. If not, then the 2025-26 season will come to a very frustrating end.
Kevin Durant stats vs Lakers
Kevin Durant has gone up against the Lakers 12 times in the playoffs, averaging 25.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He has a split 6-6 record.
His first playoff battle against the Lakers came in the 2009-10 season, where his Oklahoma City Thunder fell 4-2 in the first round. But Durant got his payback two years later in the 2011-12 season, leading OKC to a convincing 4-1 win in the Western Conference Semifinals. However, his run ultimately fell short in the Finals, where he was defeated 4-1 by LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Interestingly, this could very well be the last time we see Durant and James go head-to-head on the playoff stage.
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