Warriors vs. Thunder Injury News: Russell Westbrook Out, Adams, Livingston Questionable

Despite what is a marquee season opener for the 2018/19 NBA season, a number of big names may not feature when the Golden State Warriors host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Thunder star Russell Westbrook will miss the game due to a right knee injury, having notably missed the entire preseason after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery last month.

Although it was a minor surgery and Westbrook was reported to be on schedule last week, he was still not cleared for full practice as he only took part in “controlled contact” portions. There is no clear return date for the 2017 regular season MVP but he is expected to miss the first few games of the season.

The 29-year-old has not had many injury problems recently and played at least 80 games in the last three seasons. He will undoubtedly be a huge miss for the Thunder, having averaged triple-doubles for the last two seasons running.

New acquisition Dennis Schroder could take his place while Raymond Felton is another option. Also a doubt against the Warriors is center Steven Adams who is questionable due to a back problem.

Meanwhile for the Warriors, backup guard Shaun Livingston is also questionable with foot soreness. According to reports, he suffered an undisclosed injury during practice and a decision may be made right at gametime on his availability.

Should he be unavailable, Quinn Cook will likely step in as the backup point guard for Stephen Curry, who avoided a suspension for stepping on the court during a preseason altercation against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Draymond Green could feature against the Thunder but his participation will likely be limited with head coach Steve Kerr revealing he would have a few minutes in the first few games of the season due to a knee problem during the offseason.

Green had soreness in his left knee after an injury during a preseason scrimmage but his MRI would later come back negative.

One guaranteed absentee for the Warriors is new signing DeMarcus Cousins who is still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January. He is only expected to return during the Christmas period at the earliest and according to Kerr, he is progressing well.

"We didn’t really have any expectations in terms of, you know, a timetable," Kerr explained earlier this month. "So I can’t say that he’s ahead of schedule. He’s definitely not behind schedule. The rehab has gone really well. The problem is with an Achilles, it’s a tricky injury to come back from because there’s a lot of motion and movement. It’s not as simple as a ligament healing in your knee or elbow or something. Your whole body depends on your Achilles for movement and balance and coordination."

"So his Achilles is healed. And now, it’s about all of that other stuff, all the movement. That’s where Rick Celebrini comes into play, our new director of performance here. Rick is great. DeMarcus is working closely with him. But he has taken part in the last two days in practice, all the non-contact stuff. It’s good to get him out there," he added.