The first-round matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets got off to a rather curious start. With all the players who were out beforehand (Kevin Durant, Luka Dončić, and Austin Reaves), the Lakers emerged victorious.
Lakers and Rockets Injury Updates Before Game 2
The Rockets and Lakers are still dealing with injuries heading into Game 2.
Per Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane, Dončić and Austin Reaves are still out with their respective injuries. Glass half full, the Lakers have no new injuries.
Lakers injury report for game 2 pic.twitter.com/0CAoiJvmZw
— Trevor Lane (@TrevorLane) April 20, 2026
As for the Rockets, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that while the team is “optimistic” Durant could return as soon as Game 2, his status remains “up in the air” for now.
Reporting for NBA Today on status updates on Houston star Kevin Durant’s deep patellar tendon bruise and Minnesota star Anthony Edwards’ runner’s knee: pic.twitter.com/SJ8pdxdKV6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 20, 2026
The Athletic’s William Guillory confirmed that Durant will be a game-time decision for Game 2.
It’s already hard enough for the Rockets to not have Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, but missing their best player pretty much kills any chances of winning a playoff series, let alone against an undermanned Lakers team that is also missing two of its three best players.
There’s no telling whether Durant plans to play, but even if he does, there is a good chance he might not be at his best. That makes it a golden opportunity for the Lakers to take a 2-0 lead despite being handed one of the worst possible injury troubles before the playoffs.
Not only could winning help get the advantage in the playoffs, but being up two games also gives more time for Dončić and Reaves to possibly return. Even if the Rockets were to come back and take a 3-2 lead, that might be all the time the Lakers need to see one or both of their best players back on the floor.
That will all depend on whether Durant returns and looks like himself after missing Game 1 with a knee contusion. The 16-time All-Star was the golden ticket for the Rockets, and it’s neither his nor Houston’s fault that the team has been hit by injuries.
The question will be whether they can endure what they’ve lost. Making it harder is that they’re going up against the one team arguably as undermanned as they are, if not more so.
If the Rockets move on, that might be enough proof for Ime Udoka to stick around as head coach and that their core is fine as a whole, attributing their bad fortune to injuries.
If the Lakers move on, that might be enough proof to convince LeBron James to stay this offseason to build on a productive season.
