While listed as questionable, Kevin Durant is expected to miss Sunday night’s do-or-die Game 4 vs. the Lakers, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Rockets trail the Lakers 3-0 in this best-of-seven first-round series.
Durant also missed Game 3 with the ankle injury and Game 1 with a knee injury. The veteran wasn’t even on the bench for Game 3 and there is speculation Durant has been rehabbing away from the Rockets.
The relationship between Durant and the Rockets doesn’t seem to be in a good place right now and with him sidelined for Game 4, Alperen Sengun ($8,600) and Amen Thompson ($8,000) should both see massive roles with Houston’s season on the line.
With Durant inactive for the Rockets’ 112-108 overtime loss in Game 3, Sengun finished with 33 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and three steals in 46.5 minutes (70.5 FPTS), and Thompson posted 26 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks in 48.2 minutes (58.75 FPTS). Tari Eason ($4,900) should also be in line for his second straight start for Durant after posting five points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists across 45.3 minutes with the first unit in Game 3 (20.5 FPTS).
The Rockets are 4-2 with Durant inactive this season, but those two losses have come at the hands of the Lakers in this series. Following the news of Durant being out for Game 4, Houston has moved to a 2.5-point home favorite for Game 4 after opening as 4.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook.
