Westbrook: Coming off bench may have caused hamstring strain

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook "absolutely" believes coming off the bench in the team's final preseason game Friday against the Sacramento Kings could have caused the hamstring strain he suffered that night, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"I've been doing the same thing for 14 years straight," Westbrook said after the Lakers' 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Tuesday's season opener. "Honestly, I didn't even know what to do pregame. Being honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and loose. ... That's something I just wasn't accustomed to."

Westbrook has started 1,005 of his 1,022 career regular-season games, including all 78 of his appearances last year for the Lakers. He hasn't come off the bench in a regular-season contest since his 2008-09 rookie campaign.

The 33-year-old guard played just five minutes in Friday's preseason contest before getting injured. He suggested he could have played more but "wasn't going to risk it" in an exhibition contest.

The team listed Westbrook as day-to-day heading into Tuesday before he ultimately played - and started - for L.A. He finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in 31 minutes.

Before the opener, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said he wanted to find a consistent starting five, but afterward, he wouldn't commit to sticking with his initial unit that featured Westbrook, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Patrick Beverley, and Lonnie Walker IV.

"We'll see," Ham said. "I'm a day-by-day guy."

James and Davis, perennial All-Stars when healthy, are clear locks for the starting unit, but beyond that, it's uncertain. Guard Kendrick Nunn led L.A.'s reserves with 23 minutes Tuesday, scoring 13 points, while none of the team's other players topped 18 minutes off the bench. Point guard Dennis Schroder, who the Lakers signed late in free agency, will be out for three-to-four weeks after having finger surgery.

Westbrook is owed $47 million this season, the final year of his contract with the Lakers. The organization acquired him from the Washington Wizards in July 2021.