HOUSTON — Kevin Durant wasn’t available for Friday’s Game 3 against the Lakers, his second absence of the first-round playoff series.

The Rockets star forward was ruled out because of a left ankle sprain, with the Rockets listing him as questionable on Thursday’s injury report before ruling him out 90 minutes before tipoff.

Durant injured the ankle midway through the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ Game 2 win over the Rockets on Tuesday.

“A lot of treatment, tried to push the swelling out, which happened,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said pregame before Durant was ruled out. “It’s obviously improved. [Friday] morning…mobility wasn’t the best.”

Durant missed Game 1 of the best-of-seven series because of a right knee contusion, with the Lakers beating the Durant-less Rockets, 107-98, last Saturday.

He made his return in Game 2, but the Lakers beat the Rockets, 101-94, to take a 2-0 lead in the series entering Friday.

The Rockets started Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason in Game 3, replacing Durant and Josh Okogie.

Sheppard played just 11 minutes in Game 2 after playing 36 in Game 1.

“A little bit of defensive slip ups we’ve had there and that’s not just him, that’s could be lineup based,” Udoka said on why Sheppard didn’t play more in Game 2. “But…like I said, we’re going more small-ball. Usually, we don’t love Reed out there with smaller lineups, we want size across the board for all the switching purposes. The lineups that were working well, they got us back in the game. I would say specifically in the third quarter didn’t include Reed and so we went with those.”