Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook underwent surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday, March 4, according to league insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The optimistic expectation is that he will recover in time to rejoin the team before the 2024 NBA playoffs, which are scheduled to start on April 20.
The league's all-time leader in triple-doubles suffered the left-hand fracture during their game last Friday, March 1, against the Washington Wizards at home in the Crypto.com Arena.
The 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player sustained the injury while attempting to strip the ball away from Wizards guard Jordan Poole with about 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Despite initially staying in the game, the nine-time NBA All-Star, in evident discomfort, reached for his injured hand at the subsequent stoppage of play. Eventually, he was substituted out of the game and did not return.
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Westbrook is one of the league's best sixth men
The 35-year-old guard transitioned to a bench role in the current season after acquiring star James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers through a trade last November.
Westbrook has distinguished himself as one of the premier sixth men in the league. Before his injury, he played in all 58 games for the Clippers, averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 23 minutes per game.
The team is in fourth place in the highly competitive Western Conference with a 39-20 record.
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