Just when the Oklahoma City Thunder were starting to roll, one of their top defenders suffered a potential season-ending injury.
Guard Andre Roberson injured his left knee in a scary incident during the Thunder's 121-108 win over the Pistons in Detroit on Saturday. Roberson was attempting to jump on an alley-oop pass when it appears that his foot slipped when he planted to leap. He fell hard to the ground and remained on the floor for several minutes. He was put on a stretcher and taken to the locker room.
According to ESPN, the preliminary report is that Roberson suffered a ruptured pateller tendon and will require season-ending surgery.
They brought out a stretcher for Roberson after this slip. I really hope he is okay. pic.twitter.com/dLoZ5n1Q7p— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) January 27, 2018
Sources: Andre Roberson will be examined upon return to OKC, but expectation is that he will need to undergo season-ending surgery for a ruptured patellar tendon in his left leg.— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2018
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While Roberson isn't much of an offensive threat, he has the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA at 96.8.
The Thunder currently sit fifth in the Western Conference standings and have won seven games in a row.
It's the second straight day a Western Conference playoff team has lost a player to a season-ending injury as Pelicans All-Star forward DeMarcus Cousins ruptured his left Achilles tendon on Friday night.