Kevin Durant sat on the bench late in Rockets–Lakers game, sparking questions about the coach’s decision

Kevin Durant was out again Sunday night, but his presence on the Rockets’ bench became part of Houston’s 115-96 Game 4 win over the Lakers. (nba.com) (espn.com) Durant missed Game 4 with a sprained left ankle and bone bruise, the same injury that sidelined him for Game 3 after he got hurt in Game 2. ESPN reported the injury would usually cost a player two to three weeks in the regular season. (espn.com) Houston won anyway behind 23 points from Amen Thompson and 20 from Tari Eason, cutting the Lakers’ series lead to 3-1. Game 5 is Wednesday, April 29, in Los Angeles. (nba.com) (apnews.com) The bench questions started one game earlier, when Durant was ruled out for Game 3 and was not visible with teammates during Houston’s overtime loss. Ime Udoka said after that game that Durant was “in treatment,” including work on an underwater treadmill. (sports.yahoo.com) (chron.com) Before Game 4, Udoka said Durant’s status remained unclear as the forward kept rehabbing the ankle. The Associated Press reported Monday that a return for Game 5 looked unlikely. (nytimes.com) (apnews.com) What changed Sunday was visibility. Durant was on the bench during Game 4, and Yahoo Sports reported he spent part of the night jawing with Lakers players as Houston pulled away. (sports.yahoo.com) That turned a medical-status story into a coaching and optics story. When an injured star is absent, the question becomes treatment; when he is present late in a must-win game, the question becomes why he was unavailable on the floor. (sports.yahoo.com 1) (sports.yahoo.com 2) The Rockets do not need Durant on the bench to count him as active in the series, but they do need his ankle to respond fast enough for clearance. As of Monday, the series had shifted from sweep talk to whether Houston can get one more game without him. (apnews.com) (nba.com) For now, the cleanest answer is the simplest one: Durant did not play, Houston won without him, and his seat on the bench drew almost as much attention as the scoreboard. (nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com)