Forward Chris Wilcox said he is ready to play tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers, five days before the earliest possible return date the team gave in its initial 10-14 day recovery timetable from a dislocated left ring finger.
"I'm just going to play my game. I can't worry about it," said Wilcox, who will wear a soft cast on his middle two fingers when he returns. "If it gets hurt again it gets hurt again. But I just have to keep being physical." Thunder coach Scott Brooks would not say whether Wilcox will be active tonight but said he looked good during the team's light practice Monday.
"He's still a little conservative with it, but you have to fight through the pain that you have," Brooks said. "But he did show signs of improvement."
Westbrook watch
Rookie guard Russell Westbrook scored a season-low two points on 1-for-3 shooting in Sunday's loss to San Antonio, getting in early foul trouble and playing just 19 minutes.
"All players are going to have some rough spots, and that was a rough spot for him," Brooks said. "We will look at film and try to get better together with him. But it's just part of going through the ups and downs of an NBA player, whether he's a young player or a veteran player. They're going to have games that they wish would have never happened."
Westbrook is averaging 14.4 points in five games following a contest in which he failed to score in double digits.
Quotable
"We would love to have a great home game. Our fans deserve it. Our players deserve it." - Brooks on the beginning of a three-game home stretch.
Briefly
Robert Swift is participating in full contact games of one-on-one but has yet to return to practice. Assistant coach Mark Bryant delivered a shot to Swift's healing back following Monday's practice, indicating Swift has healed. Swift could return to practice Wednesday or Thursday but is still listed as day-to-day. ...Desmond Mason, Damien Wilkins and Joe Smith delivered shoes to more than 150 students at Dunbar Elementary School on Monday afternoon.
