Houston will once again have to try to postpone elimination without its biggest star, as the Rockets announced late Tuesday that Kevin Durant would be out for Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
It will be the fourth game out of five missed by Durant in the first-round playoff series.
The 16-time All-Star missed Game 1 because of a right knee contusion and sat out Games 3 and 4 with a left ankle sprain and bone bruise, which didn’t respond favorably enough on Tuesday to allow the organization to clear him for the game Wednesday.
Durant’s lone appearance in the series was a 23-point, nine-turnover performance in a Game 2 loss.
Los Angeles has built a 3-1 series advantage during Durant’s absence, though the Lakers have been dealing with plenty of injuries of their own. Los Angeles has yet to compete in this series with either of its top two scorers, Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique). Reaves could be available Wednesday.
Down 3-0 entering Sunday’s game, the Rockets avoided elimination with a 115-96 victory.
Durant, 37, is in his 18th NBA season. He was MVP in 2013-14, is a four-time scoring champion and an 11-time All-NBA player, in addition to being a two-time NBA champ. This is his first season with the Rockets.
