Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Out for regular-season finale
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Westbrook will not play in Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Rockets for rest purposes, Justin Russo of the 'Clip & Roll' podcast reports.
No surprise here, as the Clippers are resting most of their starters ahead of the playoffs next weekend. Westbrook will finish regular-season action with averages of 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 triples across 22.5 minutes per game.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Good to go Friday
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Westbrook (hand) will be available for Friday's game against the Jazz.
Westbrook sat out Wednesday's game against the Suns, but it was likely a precaution after he played 40 minutes the night before. Kawhi Leonard (knee) is the only regular rotation player on the injury report for Friday, and he'll remain sidelined.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Dealing with hand injury
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Westbrook is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Suns due to a left hand contusion, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com reports.
With Kawhi Leonard (knee) and James Harden (foot) out, Westbrook moved into the starting lineup Tuesday and posted his first triple-double since Jan. 15, 2023 during a win over the Suns. Leonard, Harden and Paul George (knee) are all out Wednesday, while Ivica Zubac (ankle) joins Westbrook as questionable, so the Clippers are going to be extremely shorthanded for Wednesday's rematch versus Phoenix.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Shines in starting lineup
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Westbrook ended Tuesday's 105-92 win over the Suns with 16 points (7-17 FG, 2-4 3Pt), 15 rebounds, 15 assists and two steals over 40 minutes.
Although the Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard (knee) and James Harden (foot), the team didn't skip a beat as Westbrook turned back the clock with a sublime triple-double. The last time Westbrook reached that milestone was Jan. 15, 2023. Westbrook's superb number is a great example of the Clippers' depth when the chips are down, and the wealth of veteran experience will certainly help come playoff time.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Set to start Tuesday
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Westbrook is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Suns, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.
Westbrook will replace James Harden (foot) in the starting five Tuesday. Westbrook has averaged 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 steals in 30.7 minutes across his previous 10 starts this season.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Posts 14 points in return
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Westbrook (hand) recorded 14 points (5-10 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-6 FT), seven assists and four rebounds across 18 minutes in Monday's 133-116 loss to the Pacers.
Westbrook missed the Clippers' previous 12 games due to a fractured left hand but was sharp in his return Monday, scoring at nearly a point-per-minute pace. The veteran point guard also tied for the team lead with seven dimes, despite playing under 20 minutes. Westbrook will continue to come off the bench as a second-unit spark plug now that he's health again, but he's uncertain to see a dramatic uptick in playing time when all of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are available. For the season, Westbrook is averaging a career-low 22.6 minutes per contest.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Officially active Monday
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Westbrook (hand) has been cleared for Monday's game against Indiana, Mark Medina of NBA.com reports. He will not face a minutes restriction.
Westbrook will take the court for the first time since March 1 after suffering a fractured hand. Coach Tyronn Lue expressed his excitement to have Westbrook's energy and "pop" back in the lineup, and Westbrook has been diligently maintaining his conditioning while sidelined, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com reports.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Officially questionable
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Westbrook (hand) is questionable for Monday's game against the Pacers, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Westbrook is expected to make his return from a 12-game absence but likely won't be cleared until he goes through his pregame routine. If cleared, the dynamic point guard figures to play around 20 minutes off the bench. Since being moved to a reserve role in mid-November, Westbrook has averaged 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.9 minutes per game.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Poised to return Monday
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Westbrook (hand) is expected to return to action Monday against the Pacers, Joey Linn of SI.com reports.
The Clippers have yet to officially clear Westbrook for the second leg of a back-to-back set following Sunday's 121-107 loss to the 76ers, but all signs point to the veteran point guard being ready to go after he missed the past three weeks while recovering from surgery on his fractured left hand. Over his five post-All-Star break appearances before suffering the injury, Westbrook averaged 7.4 points, 2.2 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 16.8 minutes per contest, a level of playing time and production that probably renders him more of a 14-team league commodity. He should reclaim backup point guard duties Monday after the Clippers relied primarily on Bones Hyland to handle that role during Westbrook's absence.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Nearing return
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Westbrook (hand) is expected to return to game action next week, perhaps as soon as Monday's matchup versus the Pacers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Westbrook had surgery to repair his fractured left hand three weeks ago and is already nearing a return, though he probably still has a few hurdles to clear in his recovery. Even if Westbrook suits up next week, he'll likely be limited off the bench, so his fantasy value remains stunted. On the season, Westbrook is averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 three-pointers in 22.6 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 67.7 percent from the free-throw line.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Suffers left hand fracture
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Westbrook sustained a fractured left hand in Friday's game against the Wizards and won't return, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports. He contributed six points (1-3 FG), four rebounds and one steal in 10 minutes.
The Clippers likely won't release an official timeline for Westbrook's recovery until a determination is made whether or not he'll require surgery, but even if he avoids an operation, he's still likely to miss multiple weeks with the broken hand. His expected absence could open up a spot in the rotation for Bones Hyland on the second unit. Given the nature of the injury as well as his underwhelming numbers in recent weeks, Westbrook looks safe to drop in most season-long leagues.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Rough shooting night in loss
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Westbrook posted eight points (3-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three assists, three steals and two rebounds in the Clippers' 116-112 loss to the Lakers on Wednesday.
Despite a poor night shooting, the 2016-17 MVP chipped in three steals to the defensive effort, a significant contribution compared to the 1.0 steals he has averaged coming off the bench. Westbrook played 17 minutes Wednesday, a decline from the 22.3 minutes he has been averaging in February. In Paul George's brief absence (knee), Terance Mann has averaged 26.8 minutes, with sixth-man Norman Powell averaging 26.6 minutes as well. With George expected to return to the lineup soon, expect Westbrook's playing time to decline as Mann and Powell continue to receive significant opportunities.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Reaches career milestone
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Westbrook recorded 23 points (10-13 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, nine assists and two steals across 25 minutes during Friday's 136-125 win over the Pistons.
His final bucket of the night gave Westbrook 25,000 points for his career, making him the 25th player in NBA history to achieve that feat -- current teammate James Harden was the last to do it in December. Westbrook has begun to find a rhythm in his role as the floor general on the Clippers' second unit, and over the last 10 games he's averaging 14.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.6 boards, 1.0 steals and 0.9 threes in 22.5 minutes a contest while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Hits for 20 off bench
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Westbrook closed Friday's 127-107 win over the Raptors with 20 points (7-14 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 6-6 FT), five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench.
James Harden has the Clippers' starting point guard role on lock, but Westbrook appears to have adapted to being on the second unit -- a reversal of the roles they had early in their careers with the Thunder. Westbrook has scored in double digits in six straight games, averaging 15.7 points, 5.3 boards, 5.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 threes in 23.7 minutes per contest while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent (7-for-15) from beyond the arc.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Flirts with double-double off bench
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Westbrook registered 23 points (10-16 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), nine rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal over 31 minutes during Sunday's 125-114 victory over the Nets.
Westbrook led all bench players in Sunday's contest in scoring, rebounds and assists while hauling in a team-best rebound mark and ending one board short of a double-double. Westbrook posted his second-highest scoring total of the year -- his other game with 20 or more points occurred back on Nov. 1 against the Lakers. Westbrook has reached double figures in scoring off the bench in four straight outings.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Effective in limited action
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Westbrook supplied nine points (3-6 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-3 FT), two rebounds, seven assists and two steals over 15 minutes during Monday's 138-111 win over the Suns.
Westbrook cruised in a game where the Clippers never trailed in the second half. Tuesday marked his eighth game out of 36 appearances with at least seven assists this season. The 35-year-old is averaging 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 18.7 minutes across his last six games.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Solid as fill-in
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Westbrook ended Tuesday's 113-104 win over the Hornets with 14 points (5-8 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds, six assists, one block and two steals in 27 minutes.
Kawhi Leonard''s (hip) absence has been a root cause in the Clippers' recent skid, but Westbrook stepped up along with Paul George and James Harden, providing the extra zip needed to end the slump. Seeing the combo on the court at the same time is a rare occurrence, but it happened frequently Tuesday, especially in the fourth quarter to erase Charlotte's rally.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Excellent off bench despite loss
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Westbrook provided 15 points (7-12 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 13 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes during Thursday's 134-115 loss to Oklahoma City.
Westbrook provided quite a spark off the bench for the Clippers, but his double-double with four assists was not enough, and Los Angeles saw its impressive run come to an end in a 19-point loss. Westbrook has struggled with consistency since moving to a bench role but is beginning to look comfortable after posting four straight games with 10 or more points, a span in which he's also averaging 7.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per tilt.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Solid contribution in win
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Westbrook chipped in eight points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3Pt), seven rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes during Tuesday's 119-99 victory over the Kings.
Westbrook has done a great job of embracing his new role thus far, averaging 9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.5 steals across 20.6 minutes ever since being relegated to the second unit. The Clippers are 10-3 in that span, so expect Westbrook to continue providing a spark off the bench.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Plays only 19 minutes
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Westbrook accumulated eight points (2-5 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-4 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one block across 19 minutes during Saturday's 113-112 victory over Golden State.
This was the third time this season that Westbrook was held below 20 minutes, and two of those have happened in the last three outings. Clippers coach Ty Lue seemed content to roll with fellow reserve Norman Powell for 30 minutes off the bench. Now that Westbrook is with the second unit these days, his role and his production are likely to be all over the place.
