Russell Westbrook will make his preseason debut tonight, head coach Billy Donovan said, according to Royce Young of ESPN. The newly-extended Most Valuable Player missed the first game against the Houston Rockets earlier this week due to a platelet-rich plasma injection he received last week.
This will also be the first time that the All-Star trio of Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony will play together for the Thunder, though Westbrook is only expected to play limited minutes tonight during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Russell knows his body very well, knows having limited time in practice, this is the best decision for him,” said Donovan, according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman.




Back-up point guard Raymond Felton is slated to get the majority of his playing time in the second half, while Donovan will play Semaj Christon tonight after he's taken a look at Isaiah Canaan and Daniel Hamilton during Tuesday's game.
George and Anthony are expected to get the same treatment as last game and play only during the first half, as the coaching staff looks into the latest additions to make a consensus of who can make the 15-man roster prior to the start of the regular season.