Kevin Durant’s absence loomed large for Game 4, with the Houston Rockets facing a possible sweep. Still, the Rockets delivered a dominant 115-96 win over the Lakers on Sunday at the Toyota Center, earning themselves another chance to fight.
The playoff series shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 5, and the Houston Rockets find themselves in a precarious position without their primary scoring option.
The latest injury update indicates Durant’s string of bad luck has caught up to him at the worst possible time, leaving the Rockets’ rotation thin against a surging Lakers squad.
Kevin Durant Is Expected To Be Ruled Out For Game 5
The road to recovery for Kevin Durant stretches into another game, adding to the series of setbacks for the 16-time NBA All-Star. According to Shams Charania on ESPN’s “Get Up,” the star is expected to be sidelined for Wednesday’s matchup at Crypto.com Arena.
“The expectation is the Rockets will be without Kevin Durant for Game 5,” Charania said. “He’s dealing with a bone bruise on that left ankle sprain. He missed Game 1 with a bruise to his patellar tendon in his right knee and then sprained his left ankle in Game 2 when he returned.”
Charania also noted, “He’s dealing with stability, stiffness issues, and a lack of mobility in that ankle, so it’s a bone bruise in that sprained ankle for Kevin Durant.”
“The expectation is the Rockets will be without Kevin Durant for Game 5.”
—@ShamsCharania with an update on the Rockets vs. Lakers series ✍️ pic.twitter.com/YWFZhXEyCQ
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 28, 2026
Durant’s continued absence will be a blow for the Rockets, who are 1-3 in the series and must win the remaining games to advance to the next round. The Lakers remain the favorites in the series, and without Durant, it will surely be harder than usual for Houston to come back from a 1-3 deficit.
The only other team to overcome a deficit of that sort was the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by none other than LeBron James, who is facing the Rockets.
But adding to their challenge is Charania’s report that the Lakers will officially welcome back Austin Reaves, one of the team’s main scoring options.
Reaves’ 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, shooting 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from deep, make him a decisive scoring asset for the Lakers.
With him on the court and Durant out, the Lakers’ chances of advancing immediately to round 2 of the 2026 playoffs improve significantly.
Durant posted dominant 2025-26 regular-season stats for the Rockets, averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, shooting 52.0% from the field.
But Wednesday’s contest without Durant will require a great deal of effort from the entire Rockets’ squad if they wish to extend the series.
Amen Thompson and Tari Eason were the standout performers in Game 4, where Houston managed to take a solid 19-point win. The pair will have to step up again, along with Reed Sheppard, for the Rockets to have any hopes of a comeback in this series.
