Kevin Durant was reportedly visibly frustrated after being ruled out of Game 1 with a knee injury, as observers noted he was struggling to accept having to sit out the playoff opener, which the Rockets eventually lost to the Lakers, 107-98.
Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant was reportedly frustrated after being ruled out for Game 1 with a knee injury, according to The Athletic.
MIN:
36.41
PTS:
25.97 (61.02%)
REB:
5.45
AS:
4.77
ST:
0.81
BL:
0.91
TO:
3.15
GM:
78
“According to several people who watched his routine, his frustration with the brutally-timed situation was impossible to miss.
“Durant, who played in 78 games during the regular season and has long had a reputation for being willing to play through a fair amount of pain, was clearly coming to grips with the fact that he’d have to sit this playoff opener out.
“After banging knees with a teammate during practice on Wednesday, then surely hoping the injury wouldn’t linger too long, observers said he was not moving well during the session. He was ruled out soon thereafter.”
Without Durant, the Rockets fell 107-98 in Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night.
Credit Getty Images via AFP – Scanpix
“I mean, I don’t think it was a surprise to us,” head coach Ime Udoka said about Durant’s late scratch post-game. “We knew he got banged up, and we looked at a bunch of different things without him. If he could go, he could go, but it looked doubtful, you know, based on how he was moving the last few days.
“And so, we prepped for it. Different lineups without him and alternate starting lineups if he wasn’t available. And so, late to everybody publicly, but we knew it might be a good chance he was out.
“But regardless of whether he’s back or not, if we shoot that poorly, it’s gonna be tough to win.”
Durant, the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history, averaged 26.0 points per game in his first season with Houston.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are also dealing with key absences. NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic (hamstring strain) and guard Austin Reaves (oblique strain) have both been sidelined since April 2 and remain out indefinitely.
Game 2 is set for Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
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