Rockets Announce Final Kevin Durant Decision for Game 6 vs. Lakers
The Houston Rockets return home for Game 6 trailing the Los Angeles Lakers 3-2 after notching back-to-back wins to extend their season twice over the week.
Houston dropped the first three games of the series but has found a way to respond with consecutive victories against the Lakers, even if they did so without having star forward Kevin Durant on the court.
Those two wins included a 99-93 Game 5 win on Wednesday to stay alive, although it's worth noting that no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, with the Rockets now two games away from pulling off the feat.
Ahead of Friday's matchup, the Rockets made a final decision on Durant's availability for the must-win Game 6.
According to the latest injury report submitted at 2 p.m. ET, Durant has officially been ruled out for Game 6, marking his fifth missed game of the series. The 37-year-old has been sidelined with a left ankle injury suffered late in Game 2.
Durant appeared in just that game this series, scoring 23 points in 41 minutes before exiting with the injury. He had already missed Game 1 due to a right knee contusion coming off the regular season.
The injury, listed as a bone bruise in the report, has a typical two-week recovery timeline and has kept Durant out of Games 3 through 6 already. Before this latest update, Durant was listed as doubtful.
Kevin Durant has officially been downgraded back to OUT for Game 6 in Houston tonight. https://t.co/ycTo3Eqaz5
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) May 1, 2026
Durant played 78 games during the regular season, averaging 26 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from three-point range.
Despite his absence, Houston has kept finding production from its young core, including Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr., with the trio combining for 59.6 points per game through the first-round series.
Game 6 is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET in Houston on Friday, with a potential Game 7 set for Sunday in Los Angeles.
Related: Raptors Update Brandon Ingram's Status for Game 6 vs. Cavaliers
Related: Jayson Tatum Shares Injury Update After Leaving Celtics' Game 6 Loss
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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 11:22 AM.