Rockets guard Reed Sheppard is out for Friday's game at Dallas with a back injury, according to Thursday's injury report. Houston is 5-0 and will play the Mavericks without one of its backcourt reserves.
What happened
Reed Sheppard was ruled out on the injury report released Thu, Oct 29 at 4:45 PM ET. The injury is to his back. The report's comment reads: "Sheppard (back) is out for Friday's game against the Mavericks." He had no earlier status for the back injury. Last week he dealt with a left knee issue. He was listed Day-To-Day on Oct 22 and Out on Oct 23, then moved back to Day-To-Day and was cleared on Oct 24. The 22-year-old guard is now off the report's list of available players for the second time in eight days.
What it means for the Rockets
Houston plays at the Mavericks on Fri, Oct 30 at 8:00 PM ET. The Rockets are 5-0, have won five straight and hold the top seed. Sheppard is averaging 10.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 23.3 minutes over four games. The team is 4-0 with him and 1-0 without him. In the game he missed, Fred VanVleet played 29.8 minutes with 12.3 points, Tari Eason 24.8 minutes with 10.2 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic 14.1 minutes with 8.0 points. Marcus Smart filled minutes then, but he is also out, with a left forearm injury. Steven Adams is out with a right calf injury, and Alperen Sengun is Day-To-Day with a back issue.
What to watch
The report lists his expected return as Oct 31, the day after the Dallas game. Watch for an update on the next injury report. Watch Sengun's status too, since he is Day-To-Day with a back issue of his own. If Sengun also sits, Houston's rotation gets thinner, with Smart and Adams already out. The Rockets play the Mavericks on Friday and will try to stay unbeaten.
Is Reed Sheppard playing at the Mavericks on Friday?
No. The injury report lists him as out for Friday's game at Dallas with a back injury.
When will Reed Sheppard be back?
The injury report lists his expected return as Oct 31. No other timeline has been announced.