Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook will sit out Wednesday’s game in Atlanta, allowing him to play Thursday night against his former team in his first return to Oklahoma City.
Head coach Mike D’Antoni previously indicated that the team’s plan is for Westbrook to sit out one game of all back-to-back sequences this season, as part of planned maintenance for the 12-year NBA veteran.
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Now 31 years old, the former MVP and eight-time All-Star had offseason knee surgery and was not a full participant in training camp and preseason activities as he continued that recovery.
At Monday’s team practice in Houston, D’Antoni updated the schedule for Westbrook later this week.
Russell Westbrook will sit out the first game of the Rockets back-to-back Wednesday in Atlanta.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 6, 2020
Until now, Westbrook has played in the first game of all Houston back-to-backs while sitting out the second game. But given the spectacle of Thursday’s nationally televised game in Westbrook’s first return to Oklahoma City since the July 2019 trade that sent him to Houston, it’s understandable why this would be an exception to the usual order.
Westbrook indicated at Monday’s practice that Thursday could be a special game for him, given his 11 years playing with the Thunder.
Russell Westbrook on returning to Oklahoma City: "Obviously it's going to be different. That place is always going to be special to me because I grew up there. I spent a big part of my career there, met a lot of people there… " pic.twitter.com/zJuaDUFBFE
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) January 6, 2020
Besides the reunion with his former team, there could also be a competitive reason for the change in plans. The Hawks are 8-28, and the Rockets (24-11) will enter Wednesday’s game coming off four consecutive days of rest — which means they should be significant favorites to win, even without Westbrook.
On the other hand, the Thunder (20-15) would seem to be a much tougher opponent and on the second night of a back-to-back, which could make Westbrook’s contributions more necessary.
In 31 games played this season with the Rockets, Westbrook is averaging 24.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in 35.3 minutes per game.
Like Westbrook, reserve Houston guard Eric Gordon is also 31 years old and coming off recent knee surgery. At Monday’s practice, D’Antoni indicated that Gordon would be available Wednesday in Atlanta to help fill some of Westbrook’s usual minutes and production.
Eric Gordon to play in Atlanta and could play in OKC on Thursday, but TBD.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 6, 2020
D’Antoni was non-committal on whether Gordon would then be available for the second half of the back-to-back in Oklahoma City on Thursday.
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