Why is Russell Westbrook not playing tonight? Nuggets star's absence against Clippers explored

Ahead of Game 4 in the Denver Nuggets-LA Clippers series, former MVP Russell Westbrook has been ruled out for tonight's game due to left foot inflammation.

ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news just hours before tipoff, which came on the heels of Westbrook being listed as questionable on the 4:30 p.m. ET injury report shared by the team via NBA.com.

According to a report from LA Clippers beat writer Joey Linn on Thursday, Westbrook rolled his ankle during warmups for Game 3 at Intuit Dome.

Footage of the moment can be seen below:

Despite that, Westbrook attempted to play through the injury, logging just nine minutes before exiting the game.

Now, with Westbrook ruled out for Game 4, the Clippers will have to stave off a 3-1 deficit without the veteran guard, who has averaged 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists through the first three games of the series.

So far this season, however, the team is 7-0 in games without Westbrook.

Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon all set to play in Russell Westbrook's absence, despite reports of injuries

Following a loss on the road in Game 3, reports emerged indicating that several Nuggets players were battling injuries.

On Friday's installment of NBA Today, Marc J. Spears reported that his sources told him Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon were all dealing with injuries in addition to Russell Westbrook.

In Gordon’s case, Spears stated that the veteran forward told him he could barely jump. Murray, meanwhile, has been battling lower-body injuries throughout much of this season and is still dealing with soreness.

Lastly, Porter has been managing a shoulder sprain, which landed him on the Nuggets' injury report for Game 4.

Despite that, all three players are available for tonight's game as Denver looks to tie the series on the road and avoid falling behind 3-1.

Tipoff for tonight's game is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, with TNT handling the broadcast. The series will then shift back to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday, with a tentative Game 6 scheduled for Thursday at Intuit Dome in LA.