Russell Westbrook dislocated a finger on his right hand late in Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, sending the Washington Wizards guard jogging off the floor into the locker room early.
He didn’t return, and Westbrook said he has “no idea” if the injury will force him to miss time.
“We’ll see,” Westbrook said postgame. “That shit hurt. Should be all right.”
Westbrook doesn’t play back-to-backs, so he’ll miss one of Washington’s Friday or Saturday games, if not both after the hand injury. Without Westbrook in the lineup, Raul Neto should see a surge in minutes.
Westbrook, who joined the Wizards in a trade last month that sent John Wall to the Rockets, has played six games this season. He’s averaging 20.5 points, 11.8 assists and 10.7 rebounds per game. Westbrook has also averaged five turnovers each contest.
Neto, meanwhile, has averaged 9.3 points a game. In his two starts, his production has jumped. He matched his career-high with 22 points and five rebounds on Dec. 27, and he started the Wizards’ first win of the season, coming Jan. 1 against Minnesota.
Washington dropped Wednesday night’s matchup with Philadelphia despite recovering from a hefty deficit to tie the game with four minutes to play. The loss leaves the Wizards at 2-6, and it ends a two-game winning streak.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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