Kevin Durant injury update: Houston Rockets star's status revealed for Game 6 vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Kevin Durant will not play in the Houston Rockets’ Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Rockets defeated the Lakers 99-93 on Wednesday and trail 3-2 in the series.

Durant has only played in one of the five games in the series thus far. The Rockets lost that game. During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, Charania provided more details on Durant’s injury and the Rockets’ outlook.

“He’s dealing with a bone bruise in his left ankle,” Charania said. “We know he dealt with a tendon bruise that sidelined him for Game 1, but this bone bruise is a two-week minimum injury. He’s just over one week right now, so Houston is going to rely on that young core that they have.

“They’ve had pretty much full control of the last three games. They could have easily won Game 3, obviously. And you think about it, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun—I have a stat for you—they’re the youngest starting five to win a game in NBA playoff history.”

Durant’s lone appearance of the series was in Game 2. The NBA legend recorded 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in 41 minutes of action. He shot 7-of-12 from the field and 1-for-4 from beyond the arc.

The Rockets had a strong showing on Wednesday without Durant on the hardwood. Each of Houston’s young starters scored double figures. Jabari Smith Jr. led the team with 22 points on 6-13 shooting.

Meanwhile, Alperen Sengun nearly notched a triple-double, posting 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Reed Sheppard came alive in the final minutes of the game, scoring back-to-back buckets to seal the Rockets’ victory.

After the win, Sheppard revealed he’d played through an illness. He also discussed his pride in the Rockets’ resilience following a three-game deficit to start the series.

“After what happened in Game 3, we could have very easily shut it down, pouted and quit. But that’s not what we did,” Sheppard said. “We watched it and then we learned from it and we keep fighting and keep giving ourselves a chance to play.

“… It’s all about going out there and fighting and competing. We got a lot of confidence in each other, and we trust each other. When we go out there, we’re goin’ to give it our all and just play as hard as we can.”

The Rockets will look to keep their postseason hopes alive Friday when they square off against the Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30 p.m. CT. The game will air live on Prime Video.