Lakers' Russell Westbrook Ruled out Wednesday Against Blazers
Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports Russell Westbrook will sit out of Wednesday's matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
Russell Westbrook is out tonight with lower back tightness, per the Lakers. It will be the first game he has missed this season. LeBron James and Dwight Howard are both active.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 10, 2022
Westbrook is reportedly dealing with a lower back injury and will miss his first game this season. He last played in a 131-116 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 8, playing 26 minutes, scoring 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. An integral part of the Lakers' rotation, Westbrook averages 35 minutes, 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game, starting in 55 games this season and is second among starters in usage, posting a 27.6% usage rate, only behind LeBron James.
With Westbrook out of the starting rotation, expect Talen Horton-Tucker to see an uptick in production. Priced at $3,700 on FanDuel, Horton-Tucker has a 17.8% usage rate, averaging 0.78 fantasy points per minute. In the loss to the Bucks, Horton-Tucker played 29 minutes, scoring four points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Lakers are a 9-point road favorite against the Trail Blazers on FanDuel Sportsbook in a matchup with a 222-point total.
