Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook underwent surgery to repair his broken left hand on Monday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
While it’s still unclear how long he’ll be sidelined specifically, the team is apparently hopeful that Westbrook can be back in time for the Clippers’ playoff run.
ESPN Sources: Clippers guard Russell Westbrook underwent surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday and the hope is that he will return before the start of the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/2cGISST9ZO
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 4, 2024
Westbrook injured his left hand early in the second quarter of the Clippers' 140-115 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday night. He was trying to poke the ball out of Wizards guard Jordan Poole's hand while on defense, but he immediately reached for his left hand clearly in pain after doing so.
He remained in the game briefly, and reached for his hand again in pain at the next stoppage of play. He was eventually subbed out of the game, and didn’t return.
Here’s the play where it appears that Russell Westbrook suffer his hand injury. He grabs at and flexes his hand multiple times immediately after trying to poke the ball out of Jordan Poole’s hands. https://t.co/we7FFBzDxX pic.twitter.com/vqgUTDt7px
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 2, 2024
Westbrook had six points and one assist in 10 minutes off the bench in that game. The 35-year-old, who has been one of the better sixth men in the league, has averaged a career-low 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season.
The Clippers hold a 39-20 record headed into Monday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, which has them in fourth in the Western Conference standings, just 2.5 games out of first place. Including Monday’s game, the Clippers have 23 games left in the regular season. If Westbrook can be back in time for the postseason, he would be an integral part in what could be a deep run for the Clippers.
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