Could Westbrook be suspended for Game 5?

There's a bubbling controversy over Russell Westbrook's participation in the fourth-quarter fracas between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Raymond Felton and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert on Monday night. The question being asked is whether the reigning MVP was allowed to be on the floor at the time. If not, things could get tricky for the 29-year-old.

Here's what we know, based on broadcast footage:

• At the 0:07 mark, Westbrook is shown waiting to check into the game for Jerami Grant. After a stoppage in play, he takes off his shooting shirt in anticipation of subbing in.
• At 0:10, the camera cuts to a close-up shot Gobert, who had just suffered a low blow from Felton.
• At 0:23, Westbrook joins the fray and appears to slap Gobert's hand away from him.

The root of the issue is whether Westbrook was officially brought into the game by an official, or whether he entered on his own accord - a major no-no during an on-court altercation. The game's play-by-play data shows that Westbrook checked into the game at 7:55 for Grant, but both Westbrook and Grant appear to be involved in settling the brouhaha at the 0:25 mark of the above clip. In that moment, one of them isn't where they're supposed to be.

Officials wouldn't comment on the matter after the game, saying it would be reviewed by the NBA's disciplinary committee, according to KSL's Andy Larsen.

The incident is similar to the one that led to the infamous suspensions levied during the 2007 Western Conference semifinals. After San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Horry aggressively hit Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash late in Game 4, Nash's teammates, Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw, came to the aid of their fallen teammate. They were each suspended for Game 5 for leaving the bench during an altercation.

In Westbrook's case, however, the Thunder guard had already left the bench and was waiting to sub in from the scorer's table.

Of course, there have been recent contradictions in the league's interpretations of the rules that could result in leniency toward Westbrook, like when then-Indiana Pacers wing Paul George briefly entered the playing surface during an altercation during a 2014 playoff series versus the Atlanta Hawks:

The league opted not to suspend George for Game 7.

Short of conclusive footage of the incident, Westbrook's chance of avoiding a suspension with his team already on the brink of elimination may rely on the firsthand testimony of personnel at the scorer's table, or Marc Davis, the official closest to the scorer's table when Westbrook walked onto the playing surface.

Frankly, if there's enough of a gray area to allow Westbrook to avoid a suspension, it's probably in the league's best interest not to bench him for the Thunder's win-or-go-home Game 5. He ultimately had little impact on the Gobert-Felton altercation, and didn't even draw a tech for slapping Gobert's hand. If anything, it's possible that Grant, who remained on the court beyond the point when Westbrook purportedly checked in, could take the fall as the player who wasn't supposed to be involved in the fracas.

No matter what happens, someone - whether it's Jazz truthers, Westbrook stans, or long-bitter Suns fans - is going to call foul on the league's handling of one of their premier players.