Rockets forward Julian Phillips was cleared on the official injury report Wednesday night after being listed as day-to-day with an illness. He is available for Houston's game against the Mavericks at 8:30 p.m. ET.
What happened
Julian Phillips was cleared on the official injury report at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 21. That was 25 minutes before the Rockets' tip against the Mavericks. The 22-year-old forward had been listed as day-to-day. He first showed up on the report Tuesday, Oct. 20, as day-to-day with an illness. The report gave no further detail about the illness and no comment with the update. The move takes him off the list of question marks for Wednesday's game.
What it means for the Rockets
The Rockets play the Mavericks on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 8:30 p.m. ET. They are 0-0, and the 2026-27 season has not started. Phillips had a small role last season. He averaged 8.9 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.2 assists in 48 games. Most of the minutes go elsewhere. Amen Thompson has averaged 37.4 minutes and 18.3 points, Kevin Durant 36.4 and 26.0, Jabari Smith Jr. 35.1 and 15.8, and Alperen Sengun 33.3 and 20.4. Reed Sheppard is at 26.2 minutes, Tari Eason at 25.8 and Josh Okogie at 17.4. Steven Adams, at 22.8 minutes, is out with a right calf injury. There is no record yet for games with and without Phillips.
What to watch
Phillips is cleared for the Mavericks game, so his availability is settled for now. When the next injury report comes out has not been announced. The thing to watch is whether he gets minutes against the Mavericks so soon after the illness, with Houston's rotation led by Thompson, Durant, Smith and Sengun. Steven Adams is the other Rockets name on the report. He is out with a right calf injury, and no return date for him has been announced.
Is Julian Phillips playing vs the Mavericks on Wed, Oct 21?
He is available. The official injury report cleared him at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 21, ahead of the 8:30 p.m. ET game. His role has not been announced.
When will Julian Phillips be back?
He is already back. He was cleared on Wednesday, Oct. 21, after being listed as day-to-day with an illness since Tuesday, Oct. 20.