Things have gone from bad to considerably worse for the OKC Thunder – Russell Westbrook broke a bone in his right hand Thursday night in a 93-90 road loss to the LA Clippers, and may be out for a month or longer.
Westbrook appeared to get hurt when he accidentally struck teammate Kendrick Perkins’ back while fighting for an offensive rebound in the second quarter.
The comically injured Thunder are likely to have just eight healthy bodies for Saturday’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets.
Per The Oklahoman:
The projected recovery time would cost Westbrook 15 games on the low end and as many as 21 contests. He would rejoin the lineup between Nov. 28 and Dec. 12. […] Westbrook is scheduled to undergo further tests Friday in Oklahoma City.
His loss undoubtedly will be a crippling blow to a Thunder roster that has been decimated by injuries throughout October. Oklahoma City was counting on Westbrook to captain its injury-riddled roster for at least the first month of the season while a host of his teammates recovered from various ailments. Instead, Westbrook now joins Kevin Durant (broken foot), Reggie Jackson (ankle), Jeremy Lamb (back strain), Mitch McGary (broken foot), Anthony Morrow (sprained knee) and Grant Jerrett (ankle surgery) on the injury list.
“It’s just really pretty unbelievable. You’re kind of just shocked almost,” said Thunder forward Nick Collison of his team’s injury-riddled roster. “It’s not funny at all, but you almost have to laugh about it just because it’s so many guys.”
