Tari Eason sprains right ankle in Houston’s second loss at Portland

With Tari Eason as the latest example, sprained right ankles are becoming a common theme for the 2025-26 Houston Rockets.

In a span of under two weeks, Eason, Steven Adams, and Alperen Sengun have all suffered the identical injury designation. Adams returned earlier this week after a one-week absence, while Sengun is expected to miss 10-14 days, in total.

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While there was no immediate word as to a return timeline, Eason suffered his injury in the third quarter of Friday night’s 111-105 loss (box score) in Portland. The fourth-year forward was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game, though he did return to Houston’s bench, in uniform.

All indications are that Eason was able to walk, without assistance, while putting weight on his right leg. That would seemingly point to a relatively minor sprain, perhaps along the same lines as what Adams and Sengun have dealt with.

If Eason misses any additional time, Reed Sheppard, Josh Okogie, and Dorian Finney-Smith are among the reserves who could be in line for a minutes increase.

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With the latest loss, Houston (22-13) is now just 11-11 on the road this season. The Trail Blazers (19-20) are 10-9 at home, where they beat the Rockets in consecutive games this week.

After taking a 13-point lead after three quarters, the Rockets were outscored by 19 in the fourth. Eason — who entered as one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooters, at 46.8%, and has started since Christmas — was unavailable for the entirety of that frame,

Jabari Smith Jr. (13 points, 8 rebounds) shot 0-of-8 in the fourth quarter, but with Eason unavaialble, head coach Ime Udoka had few replacement options.

Kevin Durant led the way with 30 efficient points (55.0% FG) and moved to No. 7 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, but yet again, it wasn’t enough for a win.

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Houston returns to action on Sunday night in Sacramento, where tipoff versus the Kings (8-29) is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Central. The game will televised regionally on Space City Home Network (SCHN) and nationally via NBA League Pass.

More: ‘Changed the whole vibe’: As starter, Tari Eason gives Rockets a spark

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Tari Eason sprains right ankle in Houston’s second loss at Portland