Kevin Durant was a late scratch for Saturday’s Game 1 against the Lakers. Houston had been a -4.5 favorite prior to the news, but the line shifted to Rockets -2.5 as a result. The Rockets are currently -5 favorites for Game 2 at Fanatics Sportsbook, and Durant is listed as a game-time decision. Below, we will deliver the latest information on Durant’s Game 2 status.
Will Kevin Durant play in Game 2 tonight against the Rockets?
It seems likely that Durant will try and give it a go tonight in Game 2. The spread is 0.5 points higher for Game 2 than it was a few hours before Game 1, when it was mostly believed that Durant would play.
The Athletic’s Will Guillory posted video of Durant working out after Rockets practice on Monday. Guillory wrote on X that, “[Durant] looks like he’s got some type of tape on his right knee. [He] appears to be moving around much better than he was a few nights ago.”
It is believed that Durant suffered a minor knee contusion when he bumped knees with a teammate last Wednesday. The healing for such an injury is 2-5 days.
It was revealed that Durant would not play in Game 1 less than 90 minutes before tip off on Saturday.
The Rockets had publicly downplayed Durant’s knee injury leading up to Game 1, but Houston head coach Ime Udoka said after his team’s 107-98 loss to the Lakers that the team had a good idea that Durant would, indeed, miss the first game of the series.
“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.”
Durant has been injury-prone in recent seasons, but had good fortune during his first regular season with Houston in 2025-26. Durant played in 78-of-82 games and averaged 36.4 minutes per game.
Houston’s offense was clearly out of sync in Game 1 against LA. The 98 points was the least amount of points they had scored in a game since a March 16 loss the Lakers.
Rockets odds
Despite the Game 1 loss, the Rockets are -230 at Fanatics Sportsbook to win the series against the Lakers. The most likely series outcome at Fanatics is Rockets in 6 games (+200).
The Rockets are +10000 to win the NBA title, and Durant is +12000 to win NBA Finals MVP.
