Lakers' Russell Westbrook ruled out with hamstring injury

ByABC News
October 14, 2022, 11:39 PM

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook left Friday's game against the Sacramento Kings with a hamstring injury and will not return.

Westbrook exited the court in the first quarter but it was unclear how he suffered the injury.

Westbrook was coming off the bench in the Lakers' preseason finale, a move coach Darvin Ham said before the game was "not a demotion" but "a realignment."

The Lakers were also without Anthony Davis for the preseason finale. Davis did not make the trip to Sacramento, with Los Angeles holding him out for precautionary reasons as he continues to manage lower back tightness, according to the team.

Davis is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday for the regular-season opener against the Golden State Warriors.

Point guard Dennis Schroder also did not play against the Kings because of a thumb injury that will sideline him for the start of the season, sources told ESPN.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin contributed to this story.