Kevin Durant's Knee Blew Up Game 1 and the Rockets Looked Lost Without Him

Less than 90 minutes before tipoff against the Lakers on Saturday, Kevin Durant was ruled out with a knee injury he picked up at practice earlier in the week. The Rockets were ready for it. They still got demolished, 107-98, looking like a completely different team without their star forward.

Here's the thing: the Rockets knew this was coming. Coach Ime Udoka had already been prepping alternative lineups all week after Durant suffered a knee contusion in practice. "We knew he got banged up," Udoka said after the loss. "We looked at a bunch of different things without him. If he could go, he could go, but it looked doubtful based on how he was moving the last few days."

The Durant Factor is Massive

Durant averaged 26 points per game during the regular season and has barely missed time all year, sitting out just four games total. This was only his fifth missed game in a Rockets uniform, and it came at literally the worst possible moment. Jabari Smith Jr. felt the difference immediately. "It's not like him to be not working out and not on the court and not going through his stuff," Smith told CBS Sports. "We all knew whether he was playing or not; we needed to take care of business."

Except Houston didn't take care of business. Without Durant, the Rockets couldn't generate efficient offense even though they took 27 more field goal attempts than LA. They shot 35 of 93 from the floor, just 37.6%. Amen Thompson was the only Rockets player with more than five attempts to finish above 50% shooting, going 7 of 7. Thompson finished with 17 points on 7 of 18 shooting overall. Reed Sheppard added 17 points on 6 of 20 from the floor. Alperen Şengün chipped in 19 points on 6 of 19, and Smith Jr. had 16 points on 5 of 14 with 12 rebounds.

The Series Just Got Complicated

The Rockets came in as massive favorites to advance, mostly because the Lakers are down two of their three stars. But if either Dončić or Reaves gets healthy before this series ends, everything changes. For now, Houston left the door open by losing Game 1 at home without their best player.

Smith summed it up perfectly: "You miss it." Next game can't come fast enough if Durant is back on the court.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.