Westbrook listed as out for Game 3

R u s s e l l Wes t b r o o k wi l l have to wait l onger to face his former team in the NBA Playoffs.

T h e R o c k e t s l i s t e d t h e Al l - S t a r g u a r d a s o u t f o r Sat ur day' s Game 3 wit h a quad injury. Houston leads the best-of-seven series 2-0 over Oklahoma City.

Silver: Dec. 1 start date for season `feeling a little bit early'

With the primary goal of playing in front of fans next season, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the proposed Dec .1 start date for the 2020-21 campaign “is feeling a little bit early.”

The league has not reported a single positive coronavirus case since personnel arrived inside the playoff bubble in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. But the goal is to play next year out of a bubble environment, Silver said in an interview Thursday with ESPN's Rachel Nichols prior to the league's draft lottery.

“I'd say Dec. 1, now that we're working through this season, is feeling a little bit early to me,” he said. “I think our No. 1 goal is to get fans back in our arenas .... My sense is, in working with the players' association, if we could push back even a little longer and increase the likelihood of having fans in arenas, that' s what we would be targeting.”

Silver has said that around 40% of basketball-related revenue is generated from fans going to games.

Playing in front of fans for the entire season may be a lofty goal, but Silver said improvement son the vaccine, testing and anti viral treatment fronts are cause for optimism.

Game 1 of the Finals will be on Sept. 30 this year, meaning the season will wrap by mid-October. The NBA draft is scheduled for Oct. 16, and the players' union is preparing for free agency to start on Oct .18, per an ESP N report, though it could be pushed back.