Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook has suffered a slight cartilage tear in his right knee and a surgical procedure in the next 48 hours will determine the possibility of his return before the end of the playoffs.
Westbrook suffered the tear of his lateral meniscus in the second quarter of Game 2 of the Thunder's first-round playoff series with the Houston Rockets after Rockets guard Patrick Beverley lunged at Westbrook to make a steal as the Thunder guard signaled for a timeout.
Westbrook is 'irate,' with Beverley, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.
The meniscus tear is considered to be minimal – perhaps 2 percent of the meniscus, one source said – and Westbrook's recovery could be weeks instead of months, if the doctor decides to simply 'clean up' the meniscus. A full repair of the meniscus would likely mean a three-month recovery for Westbrook..