Kevin Durant to reportedly miss Game 6 vs. Lakers due to ankle injury

If the Houston Rockets are going to battle back and force a Game 7 in their series with the Los Angeles Lakers, they’ll have to do it without Kevin Durant. The 37-year-old Durant will reportedly not play in Game 6 on Friday due to an ankle injury, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

After playing in 78 games during the regular season — Durant’s highest total since his Achilles injury — he’s played in just one playoff game so far this postseason.

Durant has dealt with two different injuries during the series. He missed Game 1 vs. the Lakers due to a tendon injury, but was able to return in time for Game 2. Durant looked healthy in that contest, scoring 23 points in a 101-94 loss.

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But Durant sustained an ankle injury during that contest, which will reportedly force him to miss at least four more games in the series. That injury — a bone bruise — is expected to take two weeks to heal, per Charania, which could put Durant’s status for a possible Game 7 in jeopardy … if the Rockets can win Friday.

If the Rockets win Friday, Game 7 would be played Sunday, giving Durant a few extra days to get right.

After losing the first three games in the series, the Rockets bounced back, winning Game 4 and Game 5. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, so the Rockets will make history if they can pull off a full comeback and win the series.

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In order to keep those hopes alive, the team will need to reach Game 7 without Durant, the team’s leading scorer from the regular season. It will be a tough task, but the team has proved it can still remain competitive even with Durant sidelined.

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/kevin-durant-to-reportedly-miss-game-6-vs-lakers-due-to-ankle-injury-122003264.html

Author : Chris Cwik

Publish date : 2026-04-30 12:20:00

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