Rockets star Kevin Durant is hoping to be ready for Game 4, but his status remains in doubt less than 24 hours before tip-off, Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle writes in a subscriber-only story. Durant sat out Friday’s Game 3 loss with a sprained left ankle, and coach Ime Udoka told reporters on Saturday that the swelling has eased but the ankle remains sore.
“Every day that goes by, the likelihood (of Durant playing) goes up,” Udoka said. “But I thought he might be OK (Friday) based on shootaround. And that’s different, going half-speed and ramping it up right before a game, so you really can’t tell, but doing everything he can to get back.”
Many questioned why Durant wasn’t on the Rockets’ bench for Friday’s game, but Udoka explained that he was getting treatments that involve “things you can’t do” on the bench. They included a session on the team’s underwater treadmill.
Udoka added that he didn’t realize Durant’s ankle was bothering him so much during Game 2 until swelling and soreness became evident the next day. Durant also sat out the series opener with an injured right knee, and Udoka said the decision on whether to use him in Sunday’s game won’t be affected by the team’s 3-0 deficit.
“I wouldn’t say for him or us,” Udoka said. “I think when he can get back, he’ll get back. And so it’s different, and you extend it a little bit, possibly, if it’s 2-1, to give him more time, but yeah, if he can play, he will.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Udoka went deep into his bench during the Rockets‘ loss on Friday, giving 11 minutes to little-used Dorian Finney-Smith and nearly eight minutes to 39-year-old center Jeff Green. Per Shankar, Udoka explained that Josh Okogie, who played four minutes, was dealing with back tightness, while Aaron Holiday, who saw five minutes, is experiencing an adductor issue.
- De’Aaron Fox is upset about a technical foul he received in the second quarter of the Spurs‘ win at Portland Friday night, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). It happened when Fox received an offensive foul for hitting Deni Avdija in the mouth with his elbow after releasing a floater. The ruling was overturned after San Antonio challenged it, but Fox still got the technical for arguing. “It was an awful call,” he said. “I mean, don’t play defense with your face. I have a vertical plane that I get to go up. I didn’t throw my elbows out or anything. It was a normal floater.”
- The Pelicans‘ sweeping changes throughout the organization over the past two weeks are part of executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars’ effort to change the culture of a losing franchise, explains Rod Walker of NOLA. Several longtime employees were let go, including some who had been with the team through its entire history in New Orleans. A source tells Walker that some of the positions could be filled in the next few days, but assistant coaches won’t be hired until the process of finding a head coach is complete.
lol what good is KD on your bench going to do? He will heckle his teammates and call all the Rockets soft
So how many of us believe that Houston can win four in a row?
And when they lose this series, what kind of sweeping changes will be made in Houston?
Crazy trade idea
Alphren Sengun, Fred Van Vleet and Phoenix’s 2027 first round pick and some second round picks for Devin Booker and Khaman Maluach
Rockets have been incredibly underwhelming these playoffs. Sengun this season has shown he isn’t the guy to build around and Amen as good as he is needs time developing to reach his potential. This move brings you in one of the best guards in the league and hopefully helps you push for a title next season
Amen Booker KD Jabari Adams
Reed Eason Maluach
Same for the suns, stuck just being a slightly better than average side. Time to stop just being loyal to Booker and actually try to turn this thing around.
FVV Green Brooks Oneale Sengun
Gillespie Allen Dunn Fleming Ighodaro
You get your first back, you have some young pieces but you still have a playoff side
This is brilliant to reassemble the pair that was a disaster in Phoenix. Van Fleet is the only guy on this team with heart. Here’s a clue – Durant is a cancer that will kill any team he’s on and now his skills are fading. I posted when they got him that they’d be out in the first round and that he’d miss a third of their games.
KD’s skills arent fading though? He just had his best season in years. I like that trade though, and it works money-wise.
He is not a cancer he just doesn’t know how to win. Same with LeBron have never won truly as the man or circumstances. When you cheat the system or growing in life it always catches up. Same in the regular world the guy in the good old boys club. Or the woman that sleeps her way to the top. At some point nobody can help you achieve or get the unltime thing you have to stand on your feet.
KD is great player, what he is not is a leader. Sorta like T-Mac only difference is t-mac didn’t join the Lakers or pistons
I read your comment twice and it still doesn’t make sense.
Saying LeBron James doesn’t know how to win is wild he led three different teams to titles and was the clear engine every time, especially in 2016.
Kevin Durant is more debatable because of Golden State, but he was still Finals MVP twice.
Calling it “cheating the system” doesn’t really fit either. Free agency isn’t cheating, it’s part of the system.
The Tracy McGrady comparison doesn’t land, T-Mac never had KD’s or LeBron’s level of playoff success.
Fair to question KD’s leadership, but saying both guys “don’t know how to win” just ignores reality.
So I’ll explain easily. There is a different between winning as the man and how you won (top 15 all time). Then just winning. Well start with LeBron and everything I am stating is fact. I also want to start of by say he is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. However these are facts:
Miami – dwade was A finals MVP all NBA player and all defensive player and was a number one option for NBA franchise. LeBron was 1 not a rookie (magic Johnson playing with, Kobe playing with shaq) or drafted. He was an established all NBA MVP player that left his team to play with another top five player in the NBA at that current time that had already won a championship. So yes you can say he didn’t know how to win so he teamed up with a guy who was capable of winning a championship on his own. And that even showed his first year scoring six points in the fourth quarter with a stack team against one all NBA player and a bunch of role players. On top of that, let’s be honest without Ray Allen. They would have lost in 2013. San Antonio pretty much lost that series more than Miami won that series. I’m not taking the championship away but worth speaking in context to players who are trying to become the best player of all time you didn’t win the championship. The other team lost the championship. Then the very next year you play the same team and you get smacked. This time they closed the deal.
Then you went to Cleveland And the one championship that he didn’t win Draymond Green was suspended for. Draymond green suspension is the only suspension in NBA history and if you’re saying that didn’t alter the series then you’re lying to yourself. On top of that, we’ve seen far worse in the playoffs. Even this year when somebody swinging a fist and to get suspended over that pretty much changed the series. They were going to lose that series. They lost the year before and were down 3-1. LeBron had two all NBA players.
Lakers
This is probably the worst one of them all because the bubble allowed for 4 months off in the regular season. That’s more than the off-season the NBA is built on the grind of the regular season. Going to the off-season fans traveling different things. Anybody who’s sitting here saying that the bubble was harder is completely lying. It’s why we saw all these 60 and 50 and 70 point games and we don’t see them anymore. The bubble was built for the Lakers. They were older team again. Another circumstance around the championship that he had won.
So what I’m saying is to me LeBron hasn’t learned how to win a normal championship because he hasn’t won one as the man because I’m not counting Miami. Dwayne Wade was already a championship in a top five player. Cleveland with a Draymond Green suspension and then LA with the bubble championship. Is he a four-time champion? Absolutely when I am doing is putting in contacts his championships with the top 15 players of all time. That’s all I’m doing above. Everybody else of course a ship is a chip.
Now your comparison of tmac and KD. I don’t really see what is the difference. Kevin Durant has played with far superior talent than Tracy McGrady has and far superior teams. Taking away the warriors with the Oklahoma City thunder have three MVPs and now all defensive first player on that team playing all on one team. And if you don’t want to count Hardin as an MVP then you can. He was the sixth man of the Year. There’s not one time except for when Tracy played for the rockets. Did he have a player that was even close to the same level as a Westbrook?. And that’s Yao Ming. And it’s safe to say most people are picking Westbrook over top of Yao Ming. That’s not to say that Tracy McGrady didn’t fall or didn’t take advantage and lost plenty of years cuz I believe in 2007 Kobe would have won that championship with that rockets team. All I’m saying is between Brooklyn playing with three all NBA players and OKC. Being of 3-1 and losing is safe to say that KD doesn’t know how to win either. It’s like LeBron the exact same thing. He went and played with a top three NBA player in the NBA in Stephen Curry. So winning championships with Curry, just like LeBron winning championships with Dwyane Wade when you’re both in your Prime, their championships and we’re counting them. However, we’re stacking them up against the greatest players of all time. They’re less than those other players championships
Holy mother of pearls Batman.
I don’t see you refuting anything that I said what did I say that’s not true in my analysis? Was dwade a top 3 player In a final MVP in his prime when they teamed up? Yes
His Draymond green suspension the only suspension in NBA finals history? Yes
Was there a 4-month layoff before the bubble started? Is that longer than the off-season? Yes
So tell me exactly where I’m wrong. What championship has LeBron won as the man without a circumstance. Don’t worry. I’ll wait because you cooked with y’all weak response
I read this before my morning coffee and had to re read it again myself too Chuck bc I thought I was tripping !
Buckets, You lost us all on “LeBron doesn’t know how to win” and “LeBron has never truly won”.
That’s just silly.
Nobody reading all that
Nobody asked you too. You weren’t a part of that conversation.
“Nobody” included everyone lmao
Borrego in NOLA or sell the team