LOS ANGELES -- Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant returned to the lineup in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday after missing the opening game of the series due to a knee injury suffered in practice last week. Durant, after testing his knee during warmups, was not on any minutes restriction but struggled particularly in the second half of the Rockets' 101-94 loss.

Durant led the Rockets with 23 points, but 20 of them came in the first half. He also committed nine turnovers as he struggled to react to an array of double-teams thrown at him by the Lakers. Houston shot only 40% from the field and went 7 of 29 on 3-point attempts to fall into an 0-2 series hole to a Los Angeles team playing without leading scorers Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique).

Durant, who popped up as questionable on the injury report last week, went through his warmup routine at Crypto.com Arena less than two hours before Game 1 but was ruled out shortly after. The Rockets lost 107-98. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said before Game 1 that Durant, 37, underwent imaging and "nothing major" came up. Durant's "limited movement" was more the cause of him missing Game 1 than pain tolerance. After the game, Udoka said the team was not surprised that Durant was unable to play in Game 1.

Rockets prepared for Kevin Durant's surprise scratch but still weren't ready; will he return in time?

Cameron Salerno

"I don't think it was a surprise to us," Udoka said. "We knew he got banged up. 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. We prepped for different lineups without him, alternative starting lineups if he wasn't available. Late to everybody publicly, but we knew it might be a good chance he was out." 

In his first season with Houston, Durant missed just four games total during the regular season. The Rockets went 4-0 in those games in the regular season without Durant in the lineup. Durant entered the playoffs averaging 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists since being traded from the Phoenix Suns last offseason.

During the 2025-26 campaign, Durant logged 2,840 minutes, which was the most he has played in 12 years. Durant finished second in the NBA in minutes played, only behind teammate Amen Thompson.

Only one of the four games Durant missed during the regular season was because of an injury. He missed a game against the Indiana Pacers in early February due to an ankle injury. Durant missed two games due to personal reasons early in the season and was held out alongside the rest of the starters in the regular season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month.

Game 2 will be the first time Durant has faced LeBron James in the playoffs since Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals. That year, the Durant and the Golden State Warriors swept the James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their second consecutive NBA Finals. Durant has a 9-5 head-to-head record against James in the playoffs.