Russell Westbrook is undergoing surgery to repair a broken left hand, but there is optimism that he will be back in action by April, before the playoffs begin.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Sources indicated that is the expectation for the Clippers, who are fourth in the Western Conference heading into Monday night’s game against the Bucks.
Westbrook suffered a broken hand during the first half of the Clippers’ win over the Wizards on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Clippers’ sixth man was trying to flick the ball away from Jordan Poole when the injury occurred.
“Right now, I just feel sorry for Russ,” Lue told reporters after Friday’s game. “You never want to see a player get hurt. … We don’t know yet if he’s going to need surgery or something, but he’s out of the hospital now so he’s trying to figure it out. By the way.”
Westbrook returned to the court less than four weeks after fracturing his right hand in 2014 while with the Thunder.
Westbrook has had great success in Los Angeles since the Clippers traded for James Harden and he was moved to an off-the-bench role.
Harden told reporters Friday that the Clippers will miss Westbrook’s “athleticism, energy, playmaking ability and leadership.”
With Westbrook out for a period of time, Bones Hyland and Brandon Boston Jr. will fill the void.
“It’s been a long time, but honestly, I’m ready to continue contributing to the team, building on the wins and carrying this momentum into what we all want to do,” Hyland said at the weekend in Orange. told the County Register.
Westbrook played in 58 games this season, averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
