An injury to Kevin Durant just before Game 1 tipped the scales in the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers‘ favor. The Purple and Gold neatly capitalized on his absence and won 107-98. Leading the team was LeBron James, who, in his 23rd year, became the facilitator on the night as all five starters scored double digits. Defensively, too, they were up to the task. Head coach JJ Redick’s team strangled the Houston Rockets to just 37.6% shooting, and that’s why Durant’s availability will be a huge boost. What is the latest injury news, though?

Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest injury update on the Lakers

Fortunately for the Lakers, their 41-year-old veteran will remain available for Game 2 of the first-round series. LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists in 38 minutes of action. Prior to the playoffs, the 22x All-Star dropped 25 or more in three of his last four games. The only time he missed that was on the last day of the regular season, when he played only 17 minutes against Utah with the playoffs in mind.

Battling injury management and role changes with or without Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic, James has certainly adapted and was uber-efficient in his 9 of 15 shooting against the Rockets. He credited the team for their effort, was a true leader, and a veteran presence in the locker room, too. “That’s what it has to be, a collective group,” said James. “When you’re missing so much firepower like we are right now with AR and Luka being out, we all have to do our job and maybe have to do a little bit more, protect one another offensively and defensively, and I think we did that tonight.”

The defensive duties stood out as LA never allowed any Rockets star to score 20+ points. Not even a single Houston player had a positive +/- after the game ended. Again, on their home turf, they would hope for the same after the much-needed break, as they still remain shorthanded.

Lakers injury report

Austin Reaves: Grade 2 – rib (out)

Luka Doncic: Grade 2 – hamstring (out)

Only two of Redick’s trusted souls remain out for tomorrow. But reports for the Slovenian reveal a positive update. Doncic traveled to Spain shortly after the diagnosis for advanced medical intervention, including multiple injections aimed at accelerating hamstring healing. His trip to Spain has opened the possibility of returning in the middle of the first round. By April 17-18, the Slovenian had returned to Los Angeles and rejoined the Lakers. Yesterday, Doncic and Reaves both resumed light court practice, alongside their teammates, who shot free throws, marking a positive step in their rehabilitation protocol.

Is Kevin Durant playing tonight? Latest injury update on the Rockets

The update on the Slim Reaper remains grim. He was listed as questionable on the injury update due to a knee contusion. Durant was also rested for the last game of the regular season. During the practice before the first game against the Lakers, he banged knees with a teammate. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said the veteran, who appeared to have tape and a bandage on the right knee, is a game-time decision for Tuesday after Monday’s practice.

“He went through about half of the (practice),” Udoka said Monday. “I would say mobility, probably, [is most important.] The pain tolerance is one thing, but actually moving and feeling comfortable doing all the movements is going to be the biggest thing.” The Rockets had 27 more field goal attempts than the Lakers, but without KD’s efficiency, they failed to put up much of a scare in the fourth quarter.

Rockets injury report

Kevin Durant: Knee (Day to day)

Fred VanVleet: ACL (out for season)

Steven Adams: ankle (out for season)

LeBron James vs Kevin Durant: How they’ve performed in past matchups

Before the playoff series, LeBron James averaged 21.1 points and 6 assists in the last 10 games against the Rockets. It even included 30 points in March, earlier in the year. In their regular-season matchups this season, Bron averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, and helped LA gain home-court advantage.

While Kevin Durant did not feature in Game 1, he has scored 30 or more points three times in his past 10 games against the Purple and Gold. But in the last two games against LeBron James and Co., KD has scored just 18 apiece, going 2-for-8 from beyond the arc. If he comes back, he’d want to change this metric.

Lakers vs. Rockets: odds and what to expect

For Game 1, Polymarket predicted the Rockets had a 66% chance of taking a 1-0 series lead. But then Kevin Durant got injured, and the Lakers went on to win. But now with the Slim Reaper still being questionable, the odds are still in his favor. In fact, currently, the Rockets have a 74% chance of winning Game 2. Other bookmakers also believe Durant would be fit enough to lead Houston against the Lakers.

Lakers vs Rockets: Where to watch

• Game day: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
• Game time: 10:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
• TV: NBC
• Streaming: Peacock

Lakers vs Rockets: Predicted starting lineups