NBA News: Russell Westbrook Fractures Right Hand
The based gods curse must still be in effect for rapper Little B as the Oklahoma City Thunder cannot seem to catch a break. Just a month after losing Kevin Durant to two months after undergoing surgery to repair a troublesome foot, the team succumbed to another loss as Russell Westbrook missed the rest of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a fractured right hand. The team is also undermanned in the first two games, missing the services of Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb and Mitch McGary and the uncertainty of the Westbrook injury just adds to the Thunder woes.
Russell Westbrook will be reevaluated tomorrow. Small fracture in hand is current diagnosis.
— Kevin Arnovitz (@kevinarnovitz) October 31, 2014
Westbrook carried the team Wednesday night with 38 points in a losing effort against the Portland Trailblazers 106-89. He shot the ball well in the first half exploding for 26 points only to falter in the final quarter when the Blazers broke the game open with a barrage of Wesley Matthews three point conversions. The team was hoping to register their first win against the Los Angeles Clippers but the accident to their other all-star derailed those chances.
The diminutive penetrating guard appeared to injure his hand as he awkwardly brushed it up against teammate and center Kendrick Persons while attempting to follow-up his driving shot. After the contact, Westbrook tried to make a fist with his hand and visibly grimaced in pain. He exited at the 8 minute mark of the first quarter and had his x-rays taken at Staples Center. When he returned to the bench by the third, the coaching staff has already decided that he was done for the night as he wrapped the hand with an ice pack.
The drama did not stop there as several cameras captured his confrontation with a Clippers fan as he was on his way to the Thunder dugout. The fan either yelled or threw something at Westbrook which got his attention. Luckily, a security personnel was visible at the site which calmed the situation down. With yet another injury, coach Scott Brooks was not even entertaining the prospect of losing his top two players as he revealed the idea has not yet sunk in.
"I don't want to start thinking about that yet," he said per ESPN. "I'll think about that tonight as I leave the arena."