Rockets' Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) out for Game 4 vs. Lakers

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksWhat Makes Up Championship DNA?Hollinger's Playoff PreviewPlayer Poll: Who is the MVP?Player Poll: Who Will Win Title?Rockets’ Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) out for Game 4 vs. LakersKevin Durant has missed all but one of the Rockets' four games in their first-round series against the Lakers. Robert Gauthier / Getty Images Share article6Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss Game 4 of Houston’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night with a left ankle sprain, a team source confirmed to The Athletic, marking the second straight game he’s missed this series due to his ankle and the third overall he’s missed due to injury. Team doctors have diagnosed Durant with a bone bruise in his left ankle that would’ve potentially sidelined him for multiple weeks if it happened during the regular season, according to a team source. Without Durant, the Rockets will have to try and avoid a first-round sweep while their leading scorer is sidelined once again. This latest news adds to Durant’s devastating playoff run, which began with him missing Game 1 of the series due to a right knee contusion he suffered during practice. The 37-year-old had one of the healthiest regular seasons of his career in his first year with the Rockets, playing 78 games and finishing second in the league in total minutes played. He only missed one game during the regular season due to injury. After Game 4, he’ll nearly have as many missed games in the playoffs as he had during the entire regular season. Durant’s terrible injury luck comes as a major surprise after all the hype coming into this series about Durant and Lakers star LeBron James facing off one more – if not, the last – time in the postseason. They’ve faced off only once during this year’s playoffs, a 101-94 loss at Los Angeles in Game 2. Durant’s absence during Game 3 had some added controversy as the Rockets star elected to undergo further treatment on his ankle at Toyota Center during the game, rather than sitting on the bench with his teammates. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Durant getting treatment during the game was a decision he made with the medical staff to continue his round-the-clock treatment that was done in hopes of getting him back on the court for Game 4. Ultimately, team doctors did not clear him, and even if the Rockets found a way to extend this series to Game 5, he’d seem unlikely to suit up for that game due to his current diagnosis. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms