Kevin Durant remains doubtful for Houston Rockets’ Game 5 against Lakers
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant remains a major doubt for Wednesday’s crucial Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers as he continues to recover from a sprained left ankle.
The 37-year-old did not participate in team practice on Tuesday before the squad travelled to California.
He was, however, seen running on an anti-gravity treadmill as his teammates completed their preparations.
The Texas franchise currently trail the first-round playoff series 3-1 and face elimination if they suffer another defeat.
Udoka refuses to rule out return
Head coach Ime Udoka was asked whether there was any possibility of his talisman featuring after missing the last two matches.
We’ll see. It is day to day, game to game.
Ime Udoka
The manager confirmed that the medical staff will continue to monitor the forward’s fitness ahead of tip-off.
We’ll have to get on the court and do some things, and he didn’t participate in practice today, but he’s doing the conditioning and other aspects to try to get back.
Ime Udoka
Playoff frustrations for veteran star
The former Phoenix standout has endured a heavily disrupted postseason, missing three games in this series alone.
He sat out the opener with a bruised right knee before returning for Game 2, scoring 23 points in 41 minutes.
It was during the closing stages of that 101-94 defeat where the NBA’s fifth all-time leading scorer sustained his current ankle problem alongside a bone bruise.
Despite his enforced absence, Houston managed to stave off elimination in Game 4 with a resounding 115-96 victory.
Heavy regular season workload
These recent injury setbacks follow an incredibly demanding regular season campaign for the prolific scorer.
In his first year in Houston following an off-season trade, he logged a staggering 2,840 minutes on the court.
That extraordinary workload ranked second across the entire league, highlighting his immense value to the organisation but raising questions over late-season fatigue.