Russell Westbrook was diagnosed with a strained quadriceps muscle in his right leg earlier this week, and the injury is significant enough that it will cause the Houston Rockets star to miss some time in the playoffs.
Westbrook will be held out for at least the first few games of Houston’s playoff series next week and possibly longer, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Westbrook returned from the injury to play against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, but he woke up sore on Wednesday and has been ruled out for Houston’s final seeding game on Friday.
Feigen reports that the quad injury did not bother Westbrook at all during Tuesday’s game or immediately after. Westbrook said after the game that he was confident he would be able to play Friday and have enough time to be at full strength for the start of the postseason, but that changed when the 31-year-old woke up with soreness.
The Rockets will take on Westbrook’s former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round of the playoffs.
Westbrook is averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game in his first season with the Rockets. He has also made a career-high 47.2 percent of his shots. His arrival in Orlando was delayed after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
