Houston Rockets forward Robert Covington passed a concussion protocol test and does not have a broken nose, a source told ESPN. Covington left Tuesday’s Game 3 loss after a collision with Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis.
Covington is expected to be available for Game 4 on Thursday, the source said Wednesday. The Lakers lead the series 2-1.
Covington crashed to the floor with 4:50 remaining in the Rockets’ 112-102 loss after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face from Davis. Davis also went down, holding his hip after being hit by Covington’s elbow, but remained in the game.
“I think he got hit in the nose, and he was bleeding pretty good,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said Tuesday.
The players collided while scrambling for a rebound after Covington was knocked off-balance by a push in the back from Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma. The back of Covington’s head appeared to hit the floor when he fell.
Covington had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals in 36 minutes before being injured. The Rockets were already down a player in the frontcourt rotation, as sixth man Danuel House did not play due to personal reasons.
