The Los Angeles Lakers still don't know whether they'll have to face Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant in Game 2 on Tuesday in LA. Durant's "status is up in the air," according to ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania, who provided an update on Monday on KD's health status.
Durant, who averaged 26.0 points per game during the regular season, is dealing with a deep patellar tendon (knee) bruise. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer had a very durable regular season for Houston, appearing in 78 out of 82 games. He was named an All-Star for the 16th time and finished the year with impressive shooting splits of 52.0/ 41.3/ 87.4.
Durant-less Rockets struggled to score against Lakers in Game 1
KD's untimely knee ailment made things easier for the Lakers' defense in Game 1. While LA's offense without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves isn't as potent -- producing just 107 points in Game 1 compared to the Lakers' regular-season average of 116.3 -- LA was able to hold Houston to just 98 points, with not a single Rocket reaching the 20-point mark (Alperen Sengun came closest with 19).
Houston missed Durant badly in Game 1, and even if he does return as early as Game 2, it doesn't sound like he'll be at full strength. Charania reported that Durant suffered the aforementioned right knee bruise "last Wednesday during a practice drill when he was chasing after a loose ball and collided ... with a teammate." Charania further reported that Durant has dealt with painful swelling and that the bruise has impacted KD's range of motion.
Lakers' aggressive defense can overwhelm a hobbled KD with physicality
JJ Redick was already doing everything in his power to supercharge his team's defense against the Rockets. Now, with full knowledge that Durant is suffering from a legitimate injury that inhibits his full range of motion, Redick can game plan to attack KD with physicality and all sorts of different coverages to exploit Durant's iffy knee.
Redick will surely tell the Lakers to be extra hostile in their closeouts of Durant on the perimeter, forcing KD to put the ball on the floor and test his mobility. Redick also has the soldiers required for the task: Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, and even Marcus Smart (historically capable of guarding big wings) are each physically capable of making a less-than-100-percent-Durant extremely uncomfortable. LeBron James will add to that collective effort, too.
The Lakers are confident that no one on the Rockets can singlehandedly beat them ... other than perhaps a healthy Durant. Game 1 solidified that confidence for LA, as Sengun wasn't up to the task of carrying the Rockets' offense.
And although the Lakers are missing Doncic and Reaves offensively, the star duo's absence doesn't drive down LA's defensive ceiling in the slightest; it actually raises it.
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