It turns out that Russell Westbrook could suit up for the Houston Rockets when they square off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their first round playoff series on Wednesday, after all.
According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets have decided to upgrade Westbrook to “questionable” for the contest one day after declaring him to be out for the contest via the team’s Game 5 injury report.
Generally speaking, listing a player as “questionable” would likely mean that he would go through his normal gamut of pregame warmups and a final decision would be made prior to tip-off. On a continuum, a player declared questionable for a contest would typically be construed to mean that there’s a higher likelihood of his suiting up than a player who’s been declared “doubtful.”
Westbrook last appeared in a game for the Rockets on Aug. 11. As a result of a strained right quad, he’s missed eight of the team’s last nine contests, including each of its first four playoff games.
Rockets guard Russell Westbrook will be upgraded to questionable to play in Game 5 vs. OKC tonight. He had been out with a strained quadriceps muscle.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) August 26, 2020
When NBA teams are tied 2-2 in a playoff series, the winner of Game 5 typically wins the series about 80% of the time. Knowing that its season could potentially be hanging in the balance, it makes sense for Houston to do all it can to get Westbrook on the floor for Game 5, even if he’s not available to play his normal minutes.
Obviously, the Rockets will provide additional updates on his status prior to tip-off, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.