Kevin Durant was tagged day-to-day, not injury related, on Friday's injury report, and Houston Chronicle reporter Varun Shankar says he will not play in Sunday's preseason rematch against Dallas. The move sits Durant for the Rockets' next game two days after he logged 23 minutes in Friday's preseason contest.
What happened
Durant was tagged day-to-day, not injury related, on the Friday, Oct. 9 injury report at 11:21 a.m. ET, with no previous status listed for this designation. The tag comes two days before a preseason rematch with Dallas, and Houston Chronicle reporter Varun Shankar says Durant will not play in that game. Durant played Friday's preseason contest, finishing with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 1-of-1 on 3-pointers and 0-of-1 on free throws, two assists and one block in 23 minutes.
What it means for the Rockets
Houston's next game is Sunday, Oct. 11 at 6 a.m. ET against the Mavericks on NBA TV, a preseason rematch with Dallas. Last season Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 36.4 minutes across 78 games, and without him Friday the workload shifted to Alperen Sengun (33.3 minutes, 20.4 points), Amen Thompson (37.4 minutes, 18.3 points), Jabari Smith Jr. (35.1 minutes, 15.8 points), Reed Sheppard (26.2 minutes, 13.5 points) and Tari Eason (25.8 minutes, 10.4 points). The Rockets are 0-0 since the 2026-27 regular season has not started, so Sunday's game carries no record implications.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Durant's status changes before tip-off. The official report lists an expected return date of Sunday, Oct. 11, the same date Varun Shankar reports Durant will sit out against Dallas, and no timeline beyond that game has been announced. Durant was previously cleared from a left ankle and leg day-to-day tag on Sept. 23 after being listed day-to-day on Sept. 6.
Is Kevin Durant playing Sunday vs Mavericks?
No. Per Houston Chronicle reporter Varun Shankar, Durant will not play in Sunday's preseason rematch against Dallas. He is listed day-to-day, not injury related, as of Friday's report.
When will Kevin Durant be back?
The official injury report lists an expected return date of Sunday, Oct. 11, the same day Shankar reports he will sit out against Dallas. No timeline beyond that game has been announced.