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Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant will not play in Game 6 of the first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, as the team continues to manage his left ankle sprain and bone bruise. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Durant will remain sidelined for Friday's game in Houston, despite making some progress in his recovery.
"Sources tell me Kevin Durant will be out for Game 6. He’s not going to be playing, so he will have missed five of six games so far in this series," Charania said on Thursday's (April 30) episode of Get Up.
"He’s dealing with a bone bruise in his left ankle. We know he dealt with a tendon bruise that sidelined him for Game 1, but this bone bruise is a two-week minimum injury. He’s just over one week right now."
Durant, in his first season with Houston after being traded from Phoenix, has missed four of the five playoff games so far, sitting out Game 1 due to a bruised right knee, and Games 3, 4, and 5 because of his ankle injury. He did return for Game 2, scoring 23 points, but aggravated his ankle late in that game. Team doctors have not cleared Durant to return to the court, even though he has been undergoing around-the-clock treatment and was seen running on an antigravity treadmill. Coach Ime Udoka described Durant’s status as "day to day, game to game," but confirmed he had not participated in full practice before the team traveled back to Houston for Game 6.
Despite missing their star, the Rockets have rallied with back-to-back wins, narrowing the Lakers’ series lead to 3-2 and fueling speculation about Houston’s chances to become the first NBA team to come back from an 0-3 deficit and win a series. Durant’s recovery timeline is estimated at two to three weeks, which could keep him out for the remainder of the series.
Coach Udoka said, "He’s doing the conditioning and other aspects to try to get back," but emphasized that Durant wasn’t ready for full basketball activities. The Rockets will continue their playoff run without the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history as they try to force a decisive Game 7 against the Lakers.