Russell Westbrook Out for Game 2 vs. Thunder With Quad Strain

Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni: "It’s going to take a little bit, but [Westbrook] is working hard, and he’s feeling better every day."

Rockets guard Russell Westbrook is officially listed as out for Thursday's matchup with the Thunder due to a right quad strain. 

Westbrook sat out Houston's blowout win over the Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series on Tuesday. Eric Gordon started in place of Westbrook, finishing the night with 21 points on 7-17 from the field. 

There is no timetable for Westbrook's return to the floor as of Thursday afternoon. Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said Westbrook's quad is "progressing", but it will be hard to know when exactly Westbrook will return until he rejoins the Rockets in practice.

"It’s going to take a little bit, but he’s working hard, and he’s feeling better every day," D'Antoni told the media on Wednesday. "But I think it’s too early to say how many days, because I don’t think anybody knows."

"He is progressing, and he feels a lot better. He’s doing a lot of conditioning and bike riding and stuff, [to] keep strengthening it. He hasn’t gotten on the court yet, and once he gets on the court, he’ll be able to hone in on how many days."

Houston's other MVP more than picked up the slack in Westbrook's absence. James Harden led all scorers with 37 points on Tuesday, canning six threes in a 123-108 victory. Ben McLemore added 14 points, and Jeff Green scored 22 along with a team-best plus-28. The Rockets aren't lacking for firepower, even without their superstar point guard.

Harden and the Rockets will look to seize a 2–0 lead on Oklahoma City on Thursday. Tip-off from Orlando is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT.