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Rockets' Russell Westbrook will reportedly play in Game 5 vs. Thunder

The NBA season is back on track, and it looks like Russell Westbrook is too.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Houston Rockets star will play in Game 5 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, several weeks after straining his right quad.

Had the NBA walkout not happened, Westbrook reportedly would have played in Game 5 on Wednesday, when it was originally scheduled. He was upgraded to questionable that day, which left room for him to make it into the game.

Russell Westbrook dunks a basketball with authority.
The Rockets' Russell Westbrook will reportedly play in Game 5 against the Thunder after being out for several weeks with an injured quad. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Westbrook looks excellent in first scrimmage

The NBA walkout on Wednesday gave Westbrook a little extra time to rest his quad. On Thursday, the Houston Rockets’ star reportedly participated in his first full-speed 5-on-5 scrimmage since he injured his quad. A source told ESPN’s Tim McMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski that it went very well, and Westbrook looked “as explosive as ever.”

Westbrook has been mostly out of commission since Aug. 4, just three games into the restart. He initially bruised his right quad and returned on Aug. 11 after sitting out for a few days. However, he woke up sore the next day and an MRI revealed that he had strained his right quad. He hasn’t played since and has missed all four of the Rockets’ playoff games against the Thunder.

The series is tied 2-2, but the Thunder have won two straight games after initially falling into a 2-0 hole. With the Thunder putting up a real fight, the Rockets must be thrilled to get Westbrook back.

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