Is Russell Westbrook playing tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder? | 2021-22 NBA season
Russell Westbrook's run in the 2021-2022 NBA season can be summarized as a 'fairy tale gone wrong.' The guard was recruited by his home team, creating the perfect fairy tale story for the 33-year old, having been his dream for the longest. But his run has not turned out as nicely as he and the Lakers Nation had hoped.
He has had a rather defective season and might be on his way out if the trade rumors are anything to go by. In 78 appearances made for the purple and gold team, Russ has averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, a far cry from what he has consistently registered in his last 11 seasons in the NBA.
The Lakers' season has been uninspiring and they seem to be on the verge of ending it in a rather worse manner. They are on an 8-game losing streak and could finish off the season without a win in their last two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, with LeBron James out for the remainder of the season.
What's Russell Westbrook's status for tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder?
According to the LA Lakers reporter for Lakers Nation, Ryan Ward, the franchise has declared point guard Russell Westbrook as out for tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The soreness in the guard's right shoulder continues to keep him out, having missed the game against the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers will be hosting the City Thunder at the Crypto.com Arena for their 81st and final home game of the regular season. Having gone head-to-head thrice this season, the Ja Morant-led OKC have only managed to win one of their meetings with the Lakers getting the better of them. Westbrook has featured in all three outings, posting an average of 18.3 points per game, and recorded a triple-double in their first meeting.
OKC come into tonight's game with momentum, having won 2 of their last 3 outings, one of which was against the best team in the league, the Phoenix Suns. The story is quite different for the Lakers, who are currently on an 8-game losing streak.