In last night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Russell Westbrook sustained a left ankle sprain in the final minutes of the third quarter.
Russell Westbrook's left ankle rolls wayyyy too far. pic.twitter.com/42vtjCh1yk
— Boomtown Hoops (@BoomtownHoops) November 6, 2018
Initially, he looked like he injured his knee, which would have been terrible news considering the injury history that he has. His visceral reaction led fans to believe that the injury was devastating. As he hobbled back to the locker room, I certainly began to wonder if the season itself was hanging in the balance.
The report came soon after that it was a left ankle sprain, but considering the nature of the injury, there were still questions surrounding just how serious the injury was. This afternoon, news came out that it really is nothing more than a left ankle sprain, and time will tell just how many games Westbrook will miss.
Update on Russell Westbrook: More tests and evaluation confirmed an ankle sprain and nothing more. Looked worse than it actually is. He's out against the Cavs tomorrow (still traveling with the team) and before determining a timeline they want to see how he responds to treatment.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) November 6, 2018
As of now, Westbrook is out for the game against the Cavaliers in Cleveland tomorrow evening, and considering the Thunder has to travel back to Oklahoma City to play the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, it makes sense that Russ could be out until at least Saturday’s matchup in Dallas against the Mavericks.
Regardless of when he returns, Thunder nation can let out a collective sigh of relief knowing that Westbrook’s injury isn’t nearly as bad as it looks, and he will be back before we know it.
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