Ime Udoka Reveals Unfortunate Kevin Durant Incident After Game 1 Injury Update

The Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant in a blockbuster deal with the Phoenix Suns over the offseason, and he was elite as usual for his new team in the regular season. The 37-year-old finished 11th in the NBA with 26 points per game on 52% shooting (41.3% 3-point) while adding 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists over 36.4 minutes.

Durant also stayed healthy despite his age, as his 78 games played were his highest in a season since he matched that number for the Golden State Warriors in 2018-19. The two-time NBA Finals MVP led the Rockets to a 52-30 record, good for the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

However, Durant won't play in Saturday's Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a knee injury, per The Athletic's Will Guillory. Houston head coach Ime Udoka shared what caused the ailment, per Guillory.

"Udoka said Durant bumped knees with a teammate in practice," Guillory reported. "His status for Game 2 is still undetermined."

Udoka said Durant bumped knees with a teammate in practice. His status for Game 2 is still undetermined. https://t.co/nvLH5frO6a

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) April 18, 2026

Rockets, Lakers Both Shorthanded

Both teams will take the court without stars on Saturday, as guards Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) are out for Los Angeles, per the NBA injury report. Both players are expected back by May 1, per ESPN.

That leaves LeBron James as the Lakers' lone star for possibly the entire series, while Durant could return as early as Game 2 on Tuesday. However, the 41-year-old showed during the regular season that he can still excel, as he finished with 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting (31.7% 3-point) with 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists over 33.2 minutes (60 games). He was seventh in the NBA in assists.

Meanwhile, big man Alperen Sengun and guard Amen Thompson are healthy for the Rockets. Sengun tallied 20.4 points on 51.9% shooting (30.5% 3-point) with 8.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks over 33.3 minutes (72 games) in the regular season, while Thompson had 18.3 points on 53.4% shooting (21.6% 3-point) with 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals over 37.4 minutes (79 games).

Los Angeles is the fourth seed after finishing 53-29 in the regular season. The team will host the first two games of the series against Houston before playing the next two on the road.

Saturday's game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Related: Rockets Announce Kevin Durant Injury Update Before Game 1 vs. Lakers

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 7:40 PM.