It sure sounds like Kevin Durant won't be available for Game 5 of the Houston Rockets-Los Angeles Lakers series. ESPN's Shams Charania provided a new update on KD on Tuesday revealing that Durant is dealing not only with the right patellar tendon bruise that kept him out of Game 1, but also with a left ankle sprain/bone bruise that he suffered during Game 2.
"The expectation is that the Rockets will be without Kevin Durant for Game 5," Charania said. "He's dealing with ... stiffness issues, lack of mobility in that ankle."
Kevin Durant has two bad wheels, likely ending his Rockets season
The Lakers knew that Durant wasn't 100 percent in Game 2, and they hounded him with relentless close-outs and ball pressure, leading to KD tallying nine turnovers in the Rockets' loss.
Durant did score 23 points in Game 2 on 7-of-12 shooting, but it's not outlandish to suggest that Houston is a more fearsome group without him right now. The young and hungry Rockets just staved off elimination in Game 4 without KD in the lineup, which must've injected loads of confidence into the veins of Houston's inexperienced and "scared" players (to borrow terminology from Rockets head coach Ime Udoka).
As the Rockets look to quell a bounce-back game from what should be a re-energized and newly desperate Lakers squad, they'll rely on their own youthful energy and vitality to try and outwork LA for 48 minutes. A 37-year-old Durant -- especially with a bad knee and ankle -- doesn't fit into that game plan in the slightest.
Rockets will be a tougher opponent to kill without Kevin Durant
Durant's absence is actually a bad development for the Lakers. With him on the floor in Game 2 (and featured in Houston's offense like the superstar that he is), the Lakers identified a clear physical weakness to exploit, both by pressuring KD with the ball in his hands and by attacking him as a defender.
A Houston team with five athletic, healthy bodies on the floor is a much less obvious code to crack for the Lakers, although LA will continue its mission to expose Reed Sheppard defensively.
JJ Redick's defensive strategy going into this series was to junk things up and overcome the Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves injuries by evolving into a constantly-shifting defensive menace of a team, replete with an unpredictable menu of coverages.
Ironically, Udoka is now in a favorable position to give the Lakers some of that medicine right back. With Durant out, Udoka should have his young Rockets flying around on defense and playing a less predictable brand of offense. There was some of that in Game 4, and the Lakers didn't look comfortable or effective against it.
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