But that changed on Monday night, when the newly named 2026 All-Star did not play at Indiana due to a sprained left ankle. The injury occurred during Houston’s win over Dallas on Saturday, and Durant continued to play at the time.
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“Durant stepped on a fan’s foot on the sideline Saturday,” Space City Home Network’s Vanessa Richardson reported from Indianapolis.
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka delivered that message to reporters as part of Houston’s pregame press conference.
“He played, but ended up getting swollen,” Richardson wrote, paraphrasing Udoka’s comments. “The Rockets hope it’s just a one-game absence.”
In Durant’s absence, second-year guard Reed Sheppard started against the Pacers alongside the four regular starters: Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Tari Eason.
Houston (30-17, No. 4 in the Western Conference) enters February with wins in seven of its last nine games, and the Durant-less Rockets hope to build on that momentum in Monday’s matchup against the bottom-ranked Pacers (13-36).Advertisement
Kickoff for Rockets-Pacers is at 6:00 pm central time, and the game will be televised regionally on the Space City Home Network and nationally on NBA League Pass.
Next up will be a visit to Boston on Wednesday night, and since Durant has not yet been ruled out for that game, all indications are that his sprain is relatively minor.
Further: 2026 NBA All-Star Game Announcements: Kevin Durant in, Alperen Sengun out
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets star Kevin Durant to miss at least one game with sprained ankle