Kevin Durant Injury Update, News on Status for Rockets vs. Lakers Game 1 After Knee Contusion

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss Game 1 of his team's playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers because of a knee injury.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka talked about the situation on Saturday while noting he hoped it was a "one-game thing."

"It's very tender, tough to bend certain ways," Udoka said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "He hit it in a very awkward spot, I guess, more than anything. If he had a regular bumped knee, I think he could kind of play through that. But right above the knee, the patellar tendon area, up there, it's just very tender and sore.

"Pain tolerance is one thing, but actually limited movement is more the cause [of Durant being out]."

Udoka also revealed that medical imaging revealed no structural damage.

Durant was listed as questionable with a right knee contusion on Friday's 9 p.m. ET injury report.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon previously reported that "a source told ESPN that Durant sustained the injury during practice this week, but the Rockets are optimistic his knee will not be a significant issue during the series."

The Lakers and Rockets tip off Game 1 Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The former MVP and first-year Rocket put up 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this year, shooting 52 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from deep.

Despite his age, Durant has maintained a high level of play in the latter half of his career. He's also managed to avoid any serious injuries over the last few years, playing 75 games during the 2023-24 campaign and 62 games last year. He sat out just one game during the 2025-26 season due to injury, per The Athletic's Will Guillory.

Durant is in his first season with Houston after spending the last two and a half years with the Phoenix Suns. After failed experiments with the Suns and the Brooklyn Nets, Durant is hoping to finally make a push back toward the NBA Finals.

Houston finished the regular season with a 52-30 record and will now take on the shorthanded Lakers, who will be led by LeBron James but will be without Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) indefinitely.

The Rockets will hope Durant can remain available for Game 2 on Tuesday.