Rockets' Russell Westbrook out vs. Hornets Because of Sprained Thumb Injury

Houston Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook will miss Tuesday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets with a sprained left thumb, head coach Mike D'Antoni confirmed to reporters.

Guard Ben McLemore will make his 18th start of the season in Westbrook's place, per The Athletic's Alykhan Bijani.

Previously, Westbrook aggravated dislocated fingers on his right hand in a preseason game against the Miami Heat on Oct. 18. The 31-year-old All-Star was still able to start the Rockets' regular-season opener on Oct. 24 and has missed just seven games total this year. So far, Westbrook is averaging 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 35.9 minutes per game across 42 appearances (all starts).

Westbrook arrived to the Rockets from the Oklahoma City Thunder through a trade in mid-July. The 2016-17 league MVP had played in Oklahoma City since the organization drafted him fourth overall in 2008.

From an injury perspective, the last time Westbrook played fewer than 73 regular-season contests was during the 2014-15 campaign. Then, he broke a bone in his right hand that required surgery. His least-active season came in 2013-14 when he played just 46 games because of a lateral meniscus tear suffered in the 2012-13 postseason that required a third surgery in Dec. 2013.

Westbrook again had surgery on his right knee prior to last season.

All told, though, Westbrook has played in at least 80 of 82 regular-season games in seven seasons since entering the NBA.

The Rockets will hope that Westbrook's proven durability wins out over his sprained thumb, especially given the high expectations tied to the team since replacing James Harden with Westbrook.

But should Westbrook be forced to miss time, the Rockets will likely continue to lean on McLemore in relief. Austin Rivers is also capable of handling more minutes.