All-Star guard Russell Westbrook is day-to-day as he continues recovering from a right quad strain, according to comments made before Tuesday’s practice by Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni.
Westbrook has yet to play in Houston’s first-round playoff series versus Oklahoma City (which is now tied, 2-2) due to a right quad strain, which he suffered during seeding games earlier this month.
D’Antoni did not rule out Westbrook playing in Wednesday’s Game 5, but he also did not confirm his availability. Tuesday’s injury report comes out at 4:30 p.m. Central, and Westbrook’s status could be determined in part by how he responds after on-court activity at Tuesday’s practice.
Among D’Antoni’s comments from before the practice:
Not going to rule anything out or anything in. We’ll see. …
As soon as they [the medical staff] tell me that he can go and he feels like he can go, he’ll go. … He’ll work out today and get on the court and see how he feels, and they’ll make a determination. It’s close. They’ll make a good call, and he’ll do the same
D'Antoni: "As soon as they [the medical staff] tell me that he can go and he feels like he can go, he'll go."
"He'll work out today and get on the court and see how he feels, and they'll make a determination. It's close."
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) August 25, 2020
Westbrook missed two seeding games with a right quad injury before playing 28 minutes versus San Antonio on Tuesday, Aug. 11. He was again ruled out the next day with an injury to that quad, and he hasn’t played since. Wednesday’s Game 5 would be 15 days since his last game.
Obviously, how Westbrook moves and looks at practice today and how he feels after and again tomorrow will go a long way toward answering if, when he can return and cannot be known yet. https://t.co/jaz2SK39Xi
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) August 25, 2020
D’Antoni said last week that new MRI imaging had shown improvement in Westbrook’s quad relative to the prior week, and that he had begun doing some running and other on-court activities as of Friday.
The NBA’s automated cameras at the Disney World “bubble” captured Westbrook going through a series of drills at the team’s Sunday practice, in which he appeared to have minimal (if any) restrictions.
Russell Westbrook (right quad strain) remains listed as out for Game 4, but he has clearly increased his workload in recent days, as Mike D'Antoni had indicated. Here's footage from today's #Rockets practice. #OneMission pic.twitter.com/ht0qb65jQB
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) August 23, 2020
Prior to Saturday’s Game 3, D’Antoni had conceded that Houston’s 2-0 edge in the series allowed them to be more cautious with Westbrook’s timetable. With the series now tied, 2-2, that may no longer be the case.
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Now 31 years old, Westbrook has averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in 35.9 minutes per game during a brilliant debut season in Houston. A nine-time NBA All-Star and the 2017 MVP, Westbrook shot a career-high 47.2% in the regular season with the Rockets — whose small-ball approach opened up more opportunities to attack the rim. He is the team’s No. 2 scorer, trailing only MVP finalist James Harden.
Game 5 between the Rockets and Thunder tips off at 5:30 p.m. Central on Wednesday, with a national broadcast on TNT and a regional version (with Houston announcers) on AT&T SportsNet Southwest.
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