Durant cleared for Game 2

Kevin Durant was cleared to play for Houston in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Lakers after missing the series opener with a knee tendon bruise. (espn.com) Durant suffered the injury in practice on Wednesday, April 15, and Rockets coach Ime Udoka said before Game 2 that Durant would not be on a minutes restriction. ESPN reported Durant was back in the starting lineup on Tuesday, April 21. (espn.com) Houston entered the night down 1-0 after a 107-98 Game 1 loss in Los Angeles, a game in which the Rockets shot under 40% from the field despite taking 27 more shots than the Lakers. Durant averaged a team-high 26.0 points per game in the regular season. (espn.com) The return mattered on both ends because Houston built its offense around Durant after acquiring him from Phoenix last offseason. CBS Sports reported he had missed only four regular-season games before the playoffs and played 2,840 minutes, his highest total in 12 years. (cbssports.com) The series already carried an unusual injury backdrop. Yahoo Sports reported the Lakers were still without Luka Dončić, out indefinitely with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and Austin Reaves, who had begun on-court 1-on-1 work while recovering from a Grade 2 oblique strain. (sports.yahoo.com) Durant’s clearance did not erase Houston’s problems in Game 2. CBS Sports reported he scored 23 points but had nine turnovers in a 101-94 loss, with 20 of his points coming in the first half as the Lakers sent repeated double-teams at him. (cbssports.com) The Lakers left Los Angeles with a 2-0 series lead behind 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists from LeBron James, according to The Associated Press. Houston shot 40% from the field and went 7 for 29 from 3-point range in Game 2. (apnews.com) So the immediate question shifted from whether Durant could suit up to whether Houston can recover after dropping both home-court games in Los Angeles. His return answered one injury question; the series score created a bigger one. (apnews.com)