Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook is out indefinitely after sustaining a knee injury on Wednesday.
The dynamic point guard is slated to have surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee. Thunder's general manager Sam Presti was unable to provide a timeline for Westbrook's return, according to the Associated Press.
"Our team is disappointed for Russell. We know what kind of competitor he is, how much he wants to be out there, but it's a medical decision," Presi said on Friday.
Westbrook injured his knee in Game 2 of the NBA playoffs on Wednesday night. Houston Rockets' Patrick Beverley sprang toward him for a steal, and his hip struck Westbrook's knee.
Losing Westbrook strikes a tremendous blow to the Thunder's playoff aspirations. The three-time NBA All-Star averaged 24 points and seven assists in the first two playoff games, helping Oklahoma City start the series 2-0.
Westbrook could blow by defenses and penetrate the paint, hit the outside shot and dish out assists. His playmaking ability took pressure off fellow All-Star Kevin Durant. The Westbrook-Durant tandem worked so well because each player was a scoring threat to defenses.
Durant, a three-time NBA scoring champion, will now be asked to shoulder the offensive load largely by himself. Oklahoma's next best scoring option is Serge Ibaka, who averaged 13.2 points per game in the regular season and 14.5 points in the first two playoff games.
"Our team as a whole, we've got a resilient group of guys, a lot of character within that locker room and a group that enjoys playing together and has been through some adversities over the last several years that they've been together," Presti said. "We'd expect them to adjust, come together and have different guys step in and play well collectively."
Oklahoma City plays at Houston on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.
