The Houston Rockets will be without Russell Westbrook for at least the first game of their Western Conference playoff series.
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed Sunday that Westbrook would not play in the first game of Houston’s series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which will be on Tuesday. The guard’s status for Game 2 and beyond remains unclear.
This is not a huge surprise, and the expectation seems to be that he’ll miss at least a couple games after this. There remains no definitive timetable for his return, or whether he’ll even be able to suit up against his former team in the postseason.
Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per game during the regular season for Houston. He’ll be a big miss for Houston, and it likely means an even bigger offensive load for James Harden.
