Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook pronounced himself “pain-free” after undergoing an MRI for a sprain he suffered to his already surgically repaired right knee in the Thunder’s Friday night 119-118 overtime win over Toronto.
A spokesperson for Oklahoma City told CBSSports.com the three-time All-Star underwent both an MRI and a clinical exam on Saturday that revealed no new damage. Westbrook was hurt midway through the third quarter when he collided with Raptors guard Kyle Lowry along the near sideline.
The 25-year-old Westbrook was already playing under a strict minutes restriction after returning last month from his third knee surgery in the last year. After the play against the Raptors, Westbrook limped to the sidelines, where he was helped to the bench by reserve center Hasheem Thabeet and immediately treated by the trainer.
The Thunder now describe Westbrook’s outlook as “status quo,” even though he is expected to miss at least one of back-to-back games the team has this week against Denver and Dallas.
Currently, the 51-18 Thunder are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, two games behind San Antonio. The Thunder have won five of their last six and trail the Spurs by just two games, while leading Portland by 6 1/2 games in the Northwest Division.
Westbrook has been instrumental in leading the charge, netting at least 20 points in six of his last eight games, including a 36 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists game against Phoenix earlier this month.
In 37 games this season, the five-year veteran guard is averaging 21 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Westbrook’s overall best season came in 2011-12, when he averaged 24 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
In 45 career playoff games, the former UCLA star has averages of 23 points, six assists, six rebounds, and two steals.
