Russell Westbrook to Undergo Surgery on Right Knee

Russell Westbrook banged his knee on a collision with Patrick Beverley in Game 2, but it didn’t seem to bother him en route to the Thunder’s 105-102 win. OKC’s ironman scored 29 points on Wednesday and all seemed fine. But today, Westbrook, who’s never missed a game in his career, will undergo surgery for a meniscus tear in his right knee with no return timetable announced. Per the press release: “Westbrook suffered the injury in the second quarter of Game 2 of the First Round of the Western Conference Playoffs. The three-time NBA All-Star averaged 23.2 points (6th in NBA), 7.4 assists (7th), a career-high 5.2 rebounds and 1.77 steals (9th) in 82 games this season. ‘Our players’ health is our first and foremost concern. The Thunder’s medical team and several specialists we consulted with determined that Russell undergo a procedure to address the issue,’ said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. ‘We have thoroughly discussed this with Russell. Despite being the competitor and teammate that he is, he respects and understands the decision and is committed to come back even stronger. Certainly Russell is a leader and core player for this team, but we are in the midst of the playoffs and I know other players are determined to step up and contribute. We have a resilient group of players who have always taken pride in playing as a team and that approach will continue.'”