The Houston Rockets may have a different lineup in Game 3 of the Western conference first round matchup after Jeremy Lin bruised his chest in the last game and the Oklahoma City Thunder definitely will after losing Russell Westbrook for the rest of the playoffs as the two teams meet in Texas at the Toyota Center on Saturday night.
Westbrook was hurt during the Thunder's 105-102 win that saw the Rockets rally back from a double digit deficit after his knee was knocked into by Houston rookie Patrick Beverley, who was lunging for a steal. Some have called the play dirty, since a timeout was coming and Beverley lunged awkwardly, but Beverley said to the media that he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. Westbrook will now miss the rest of the playoffs after having surgery on his knee for a meniscus tear and the Thunder will have to rely on Kevin Durant even more in Game 3 on Saturday.
Durant has been averaging over 25 points per game on the season and will have to make up for Westbrook's 24 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during the playoffs. Reggie Jackson will likely get more minutes in the game and Durant will be the primary option on offense and Houston will zero in on him since Westbrook will be out. The point guard has been one of the most durable players in the NBA during his career and the injury now will force him to miss games for the first time in the postseason and regular season. The Rockets will also be dealing with injuries, as Jeremy Lin is a gametime decision on Saturday night after suffering a chest bruise during Game 2 and was forced to miss the second half.
Westbrook's absence will likely be felt by the Thunder more than the Rockets will feel Lin's loss, but it also sets up an interesting showdown between Harden and Durant, former teammates and primary scorers in the series. The Rockets and Thunder are two of the highest scoring teams in the NBA and OKC will use its stout defense to keep Harden back. Westbrook will miss the rest of the postseason and now will have to watch and see if his team can make it back to the NBA finals. The loss of Westbrook will make it even harder to defeat the San Antonio Spurs down the line, since they have looked so good as they are up 3-0 on their way to a sweep of the Lakers.