37 years old! Durant unexpectedly injured! Rockets set to face Lakers in major showdown

Oh no, oh no~

Insider Shams reports:Recently, Durant suffered a knee contusion during Rockets' internal training, underwent MRI, but optimistic estimates suggest he can play in Game 1......

This year's Western Conference playoffs first round, Rockets vs Lakers, undoubtedly the matchup with the biggest buzz, possibly the last playoff duel between Durant and James, thus highly anticipated.

The Rockets are fully healthy, while on the Lakers side, Doncic & Reaves' return dates are uncertain due to injuries;外界普遍认为火箭可以笑到最后。

知名美媒ESPN预测G1火箭胜率51.7%，湖人则是48.3%。

However, as mentioned above, Durant's unexpected injury before the playoffs adds uncertainty to the Rockets vs Lakers clash; even if he plays as scheduled, he may not wield the "Death Scythe" as effectively as before.

During this regular season, 37-year-old Durant played 78 games, averaging 36.4 minutes per game (third highest in the league), contributing 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, with shooting accuracy高达52%, three-point accuracy reaching 41.3%, still one of the league's most lethal scorers, the Rockets' most relied-on leader.

It's worth noting that Durant's last playoff game against the Lakers dates back to the 2012 Western Conference semifinals, when he led the Thunder to a 4-1 victory over the Lakers of the科比 era; in that series he averaged 26.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals, with three shooting percentages of 51.6%, 39.1%, and 85.3%.

Looking at the entire Rockets, one of the teams with the best defensive水平 in the NBA, regular season average points allowed 110 (4th in league), rebounds 48.1 (1st), offensive efficiency 117.5 (8th), defensive efficiency 112.1 (5th), opponent shooting percentage限制46% (6th) etc.;缺点 is limited shooting ability, three-point attempts 31.5 (28th in league), three-point makes 11.5 (25th), three-point percentage 36.4% (10th) etc.

Overall, the Rockets are a team with very clear strengths and weaknesses, but the Lakers, missing two of their most important火力点, may still struggle to withstand them.