Russell Westbrook played well with 22 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in Sunday’s 117-109 win (box score) by the Houston Rockets over visiting New Orleans. But the former MVP and 2020 NBA All-Star had the thumb on his left, non-shooting hand heavily bandaged postgame.
The extent of any injury was not immediately clear, with Westbrook declining to comment in the locker room about how it felt.
It’s the fifth victory in seven games for the Rockets (31-18), while it was the end of a three-game winning streak for the Pelicans (20-30). All-Star Brandon Ingram led New Orleans with 28 points and 12 rebounds, while prized rookie Zion Williamson had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Westbrook was certainly effective for the Rockets, and he assisted on Danuel House Jr.‘s dagger 3-pointer in the game’s final minute.
Double-Double For House đź’Ş
Rockets 115
Pelicans 107
⏰ 58.7 remaining pic.twitter.com/PG5Bh0XmwH— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 2, 2020
Backcourt co-star James Harden led the Rockets with 40 points on 12-of-24 (50%) shooting, and he also had 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Head coach Mike D’Antoni had high praise for Westbrook after the game, specifically with regards to how his ability to push the pace and attack the rim opened up House for the game-clinching look.
Mike D’Antoni on the ability of Russell Westbrook to push pace and attack the rim, which led to the dagger House 3-pointer:
“No other team has that. He’s probably the only guy in the world with that athleticism and that skill as a basketball player.” #Rockets #OneMission pic.twitter.com/sRcOWFBRo1
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) February 2, 2020
But Westbrook wasn’t quite as great, at least statistically, as he was for much of his torrid January. It was just the second time in the last 11 games that Westbrook failed to score 30 points, and at 9-of-24 from the field (37.5%), it was his least efficient shooting game, as well.
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Westbrook didn’t say when the injury occurred, only noting that it happened when someone swiped at his hand. Thus, it’s unclear whether there was any correlation between his shooting and the thumb injury.
Russell Westbrook had his left thumb heavily wrapped after the game. Wouldn’t elaborate on it or how it felt other than it happened when someone swiped on it.
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) February 2, 2020
One bit of potential good news for the right-handed Westbrook is that the injury was to the thumb on his left, non-shooting hand. Westbrook struggled to shoot early in the season after dislocating multiple fingers in the preseason, but those issues were to his dominant hand.
The Rockets will practice early Monday afternoon, at which point there could be a further update on Westbrook’s health. Houston’s next game comes Tuesday night at home versus Charlotte, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. Central time from Toyota Center.
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