NBA Playoffs 2020: How did Russell Westbrook look in his Game 5 return for the Houston Rockets?

Kyle Irving

NBA Playoffs 2020: How did Russell Westbrook look in his Game 5 return for the Houston Rockets? image

The Houston Rockets saw a key piece return to their lineup in the team's blowout Game 5 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 3-2 series lead.

TAKEAWAYS: Harden, Rockets cruise to Game 5 win

All-Star guard Russell Westbrook was back in action for the first time over two weeks after missing the Rockets' past six games with a quad injury. The starting point guard has only appeared in three of the team's 12 games since joining the Orlando bubble, but after a strong couple days of practice, he was ready to retake the floor under a minutes restriction.

How did Westbrook look in his return? We have you covered with some insight below.

How did Russell Westbrook look in his first game back?

Prior to the start of the game, head coach Mike D'Antoni made it clear that the former MVP would only be available for "25 to 28 minutes" in Game 5. Due to the team's third-quarter run that blew the game open, he was able to keep Westbrook under that ballpark range, as he saw just 24 minutes in the contest.

Westbrook would get out to a slow start, only making two of his first eight shots of the game heading into halftime. He never quite found his touch in this small sample size of playing time, finishing the game with seven points shooting 3-for-13 (23.1%) from the field and 0-for-2 from beyond the arc.

Despite the low scoring night, Westbrook still made his impact felt on the defensive end, on the glass and with his playmaking ability. He'd finish with seven rebounds, six assists and a steal with a plus-21 +/- to represent his influence in his first game back.

The Brodie still had moments of looking like his usual, explosive self, crashing the defensive glass to get out in transition with a full head of steam. Take a look at this one example that perfectly depicts the problem Westbrook presents to opposing defences.

And then there were plays like this one below where Westbrook is simply just sizing up his matchup Danilo Gallinari but has the eyes of every player on the floor, finding a wide-open P.J. Tucker for 3.

He did so again to start the second half, commanding all of the defence's attention when posting up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The result: another open 3-pointer, this time for Robert Covington.

This is the type of attention and gravity that Russ brings to the game that Rockets shooters have been waiting for. Even in limited playing time with a lacklustre stat line, Westbrook found a way to make winning plays to give a much-needed boost to his team.

Houston will look to close out their series with the Thunder on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

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Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.