Thunder's Westbrook will return Friday vs. Knicks
After missing the last four weeks with a fractured right hand, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook will return to the court Friday night against the New York Knicks, head coach Scott Brooks announced.
Westbrook suffered the injury in the second game of the season against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Thunder, who have also seen Kevin Durant, Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb, Andre Roberson, Perry Jones and rookie big man Mitch McGary all miss time this season, need as much help as they can get right now. OKC is 4-12 and already six games behind a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference, where it took 49 wins to make the postseason last year.
Getting Westbrook back is a great first step, but they'll also need him to stay healthy from this point on, and of course will need reigning MVP Durant back soon.
Westbrook on his return: "I’m going to take all my suits to the cleaners and I’m going to pick them up at the end of the season."
— Scott Cacciola (@ScottCacciola) November 28, 2014
Westbrook began his career by suiting up for every game in each of his first five seasons, but has missed 50 of the last 98 regular season games with various knee and hand injuries since suffering a torn right meniscus in the 2013 playoffs.
Reggie Jackson will move back to the Thunder bench with Westbrook back, but the two will also share the court for plenty of minutes.