The Houston Rockets will face the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday (9 p.m. ET, TNT), but will do so without a key player, it seems.
All-Star guard Russell Westbrook is listed as questionable for the game, although ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports Westbrook is not likely to play as he tries to heal up from a contusion on his right quadriceps.
Westbrook played in Houston’s last game, a 110-102 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. He made just 5 of 12 free throws and finished with 15 points and nine assists to snap a streak of 36 straight games with at least 20 points.
The Lakers wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference on Monday night and lost their last game, a 105-86 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder in which L.A. shot just 35.2% overall.
Houston has fared well this season against the NBA’s elite, going 11-6 against teams in the top 10 in Net Rating and are 8-6 against the top three teams in each conference. So far this season, the Rockets and Lakers have split their season series, 1-1.
Westbrook is averaging 27.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game this season for Houston.
