New Video Shows the Play That Kevin Durant Injured His Ankle on in Game 2 vs. Lakers

Rockets star Kevin Durant was ruled out of Game 3 against the Lakers due to an ankle injury he suffered in Game 2. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Kevin Durant has not been having a very fun postseason run with the Rockets so far, in part due to his string of unlucky injuries this spring.

Durant was sidelined for Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Lakers after suffering a tendon bruise in practice. He was able to make it back in time for Game 2, but he only played three full quarters before hurting his ankle in the fourth.

In a video that has emerged on social media, Durant was seen running into the paint to try and get an offensive rebound but bumped into Lakers’ Luke Kennard in the process. It looked like he planted his left foot onto Kennard’s foot by accident, causing his ankle to twist at an awkward angle. Durant grimaced in visible pain and bent down to touch his ankle before getting back on defense.

Watch that unfortunate moment below:

Kevin Durant appeared to sprain his ankle on this play and will miss Game 3 vs. the Lakers pic.twitter.com/LXQCHYtFFF

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 24, 2026

Durant was ruled out hours before Friday night’s tip-off at Houston due to a left ankle sprain, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Durant was healthy all season in his first year with the Rockets, averaging 26.0 points per game and earning his 16th All-Star nod across 78 starts. With Durant out of the lineup again for a pivotal playoff matchup, the Rockets are expected to plug in guard Reed Sheppard alongside fellow young starters Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun.

The Lakers currently lead the series, 2-0, despite being without Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić, who are both injured.

“We want to play with more pace, that's with or without [Durant],” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said before Game 3’s tip-off. “In Game 1 we did that more, the game [Durant] didn't play, and [we flew] up and down the floor. Halfcourt, purposeful reads on offense and get to our spacing. ... Obviously the shooting numbers haven't been the best in both games overall, but I expect them to guys aggressive and snap out of that.”

Prior to his postseason run with the Rockets, Durant suffered a few other notable playoff injuries, including a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals back when he was playing for the Warriors. He also suffered a strained calf in the Western Conference semifinals earlier that postseason.

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