The Houston Rockets just received some bad news on Sunday. Already staring down a 0-3 series deficit against a Lakers team missing both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
The Rockets will now have to try to save their season tonight without their best player, after hoping for the last 48 hours that he might somehow find a way to go.
It is a brutal development for a franchise that traded significant assets to acquire Kevin Durant in the offseason and entered this postseason as one of the more dangerous teams in the Western Conference bracket.
NBA World Reacts to Kevin Durant’s Latest Injury Update
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Kevin Durant is expected to miss Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. Charania reported that Durant has a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle, a diagnosis that would typically sideline a player two to three weeks during the regular season.
It is the third game Durant has missed in this four-game series. He sat out Game 1 with a bruised right knee, returned for Game 2 and delivered 23 points across 41 minutes in a 101-94 loss, and then picked up the ankle sprain late in that same game while chasing down Luke Kennard in transition.
Season over. https://t.co/lttavdnjey
— Zirksee🍽️ (@Zirksee) April 26, 2026
Here’s what the NBA world had to say about the recent news on Durant. ‘Zirksee’ wrote on X, “Season over.”
This is the right decision. Series is over. No reason to risk injury that impacts next season and the remainder of Kevin Durant’s career. The only question is whether that’ll still be in Houston. https://t.co/JRrXBbQmcp
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnor) April 26, 2026
Prominent NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor echoed the same feelings. He wrote, “This is the right decision. Series is over. No reason to risk injury that impacts next season and the remainder of Kevin Durant’s career. The only question is whether that’ll still be in Houston.”
Games missed
Regular season: 4
Playoffs: 3 https://t.co/vdTGbmdbRy
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) April 26, 2026
NBA analyst Bobby Marks pointed out how unfortunate it has been for Durant to miss four games during the entire regular season, but he had already missed nearly the same number in this year’s postseason.
KD swept us back in 2018
We coming right back wit them brooms tonight pic.twitter.com/5LYFLR3mBs https://t.co/mINHBFpz5X
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) April 26, 2026
Lakers fan ‘BronGotGame’ mentioned that their team can get revenge on Durant for the time when he swept them in 2018.
Thought it was pretty obvious that the dude who was willing to risk his career to play for the Warriors in the playoffs was clearly too hurt to play in game 3.
Just insanely bad luck for a guy who played 78 games during the regular season. https://t.co/L8QLnK2Mup
— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) April 26, 2026
The Rockets have been trying to get him healthy enough to feature in a postseason elimination scenario, and the answer on Sunday is the same as it was on Friday: he is not able to go.
He ranked second in the league in minutes played during the regular season at 2,840, a remarkable number for a player his age and a testament to how seriously he has taken this opportunity in Houston.
Without Durant, the offensive burden falls entirely on Alperen Şengün, who has shouldered it as well as anyone could reasonably expect.
No team in NBA history has ever recovered from a 3-0 playoff deficit. The Rockets will need to become the first to do it without their franchise cornerstone available for even one of the final four required wins. Game 4 tips off at 9:30 p.m. ET at Toyota Center.
