Doc Rivers claimed that Russell Westbrook will make his season debut tonight versus the Los Angeles Clippers according to his anonymous sources.
The Los Angeles Clippers may be facing an almost full-strength Oklahoma City Thunder tonight after Doc Rivers told media that he believes Russell Westbrook will make his season debut.
Doc Rivers on preparing for the Thunder with Westbrook vs. without Westbrook: "We're just preparing for West. We have inside sources. I'm breaking it now West is going to play."
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 18, 2018
This isn’t the best news to get as catching OKC without their star player would obviously have benefited the Clippers who are coming off a loss to start their season. The Thunder will still be without Andre Roberson, who will be out at least two more months with a ruptured platellar tendon.
Westbrook won’t be in game shape just yet, but LA will still need some stellar defense out of both Avery Bradley and Patrick Beverley.
Neither player impressed in the 107-98 loss to Denver on Wednesday. While their defense wasn’t outstanding, it was the offensive end that hurt the team the most. Beverley finished with a goose egg in the scoring column, missing all 8 of his attempts from the field. Bradley did score 8 points on 4 of 10 shooting.
Both players will need to step up tonight with Westbrook and Paul George on the other side of the court. Both present a challenge for defenses, so in order to pull this one out, the whole team will have to be ready. They will also face spurts of Dennis Schroder off the bench.
The Thunder acquired Schroder over the summer as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal. Schroder scored 21 points, dished out 6 assists and grabbed 9 boards in the Thunder’s season opener against Golden State on Tuesday when he got the start for the injured Westbrook.
Don’t expect a ton from Westbrook (famous last words, right) as he tries to play himself into shape. It is also likely he is on a minutes restriction tonight in his first game back.
The Clippers absolutely need to pick up a win here as they begin the season with a difficult schedule. Check back later for your pre-game coverage and follow us on Twitter for all your news and rumors!