Kevin Durant ruled out for pivotal Game 3 against Lakers with ankle injury

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant has been ruled out for Game 3 of Houston’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers with a left ankle sprain, marking the second game he’s missed in this season’s playoffs.

Durant missed Game 1 of the series with a right knee contusion, which he suffered during a practice leading up to the playoffs. He suffered this most recent ankle injury during the second half of Houston’s 101-94 loss to the Lakers in Tuesday’s Game 2.

His absence is potentially disastrous for a Rockets team that already trails 0-2 in the series after two horrid offensive performances in Los Angeles against a Lakers team missing Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves due to injury. Now, the Rockets will look to avoid falling in a 0-3 hole, which no team in NBA history has overcome to win a seven-game series, without the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history.

Durant’s injury luck comes as an even bigger surprise considering his first season in Houston was one of the healthiest of his entire career. He only missed one game during the regular season due to injury while logging the second-most minutes played in the NBA, trailing only his Rockets teammate, Amen Thompson.

With Durant sidelined, Rockets coach Ime Udoka said he plans to roll with a starting unit of Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün. It’ll be the second-youngest lineup to ever start a playoff game, with Eason being the oldest among the group at 24 years old.