Thunder’s Russell Westbrook to have knee surgery, out indefinitely

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is out indefinitely and will undergo surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee, the team announced Friday.

Westbrook suffered the injury during the Thunder’s 105-102 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their playoff series matchup on Wednesday.

“Our players’ health is our first and foremost concern,” Thunder General Manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “The Thunder’s medical team and several specialists we consulted with determined that Russell undergo a procedure to address the issue.”

Westbrook has not missed a single game since joining the NBA during the 2008-09 season, and for one more day at least has the league’s longest active streak of consecutive games played at 394.

“We have thoroughly discussed this with Russell,” Presti said. “Despite being the competitor and teammate that he is, he respects and understands the decision and is committed to come back even stronger. Certainly Russell is a leader and core player for this team, but we are in the midst of the playoffs and I know other players are determined to step up and contribute.”

Westbrook averaged 23.2 points, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game for the Thunder during the regular season while averaging 34.9 minutes.

Oklahoma City heads to Houston for Game 3 on Saturday with a 2-0 lead in the series.

“We have a resilient group of players who have always taken pride in playing as a team and that approach will continue,” Presti said.

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