Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets Benefit Most From NBA Boycott Postponements

Though relatively trivial when compared to the message sent after Wednesday’s walkouts of NBA playoff games inside the Orlando bubble led to the postponement of at least two days of action, certain teams will benefit from the extra time off the court more than others.

The Los Angeles Lakers would’ve benefited either way after Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard left the bubble to receive further examination on his injured right knee. Both Toronto and Boston will definitely take the extra rest before their Eastern Conference semifinal series begins. Perhaps Utah will benefit from a couple of extra days to see if the momentum Denver gained by winning its Game 5 will fade now that the rhythm of basketball being played every other day has been disrupted to protest the Kenosha, Wisconsin shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, by local police, among other injustices and issues.

But the team that will benefit the most from this brief basketball respite is easily the Houston Rockets. Locked in a tooth-and-nail first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 5 is expected to happen on Saturday, according to the Houston Chronicle. OKC has fought extremely hard to stay in this series, but the Rockets have been playing without All-Star Russell Westbrook, whose missed the first four games with a strained groin.

Westbrook reportedly practiced with the team on Thursday, and Houston is expected to practice again on Friday, per the Chronicle. The Rockets are 8th among playoff teams thus far in points per game and 6th in scoring defense, but just 12th in field goal percentage at 44.1% and 11th in 3-point % at 35.6.

Traded from Oklahoma City to Houston last summer for Chris Paul and draft picks, Westbrook isn’t the best pure shooter out there. But with Thunder rookie Lu Dort doing a nice job overall defensively against James Harden, causing an early series shooting slump, having Westbrook in there to take some attention and pressure off his Houston teammates will be welcome, even if Russ isn’t yet 100%.

Westbrook was listed as questionable for Wednesday’s Game 5 that has obviously not yet happened. A couple of extra days off from a grueling, tightly contested series could be just enough fuel to propel the Rockets toward what should be a fascinating second round series against the Lakers.