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OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook will miss the first 4-6 weeks of the NBA season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday. wholesale jerseys . General Manager Sam Presti said the three-time All-Star had knee swelling that would not subside, and the procedure was intended to solve the problem. He said doctors determined that a loose stitch was to blame for the swelling, that Westbrooks lateral meniscus has healed properly and the procedure was successful. "Russell has been incredible in his work and rehabilitation," Presti said. "His performance levels have been tremendous, and hes looked great in the part of practice that hes been cleared to go through. So, we were very, very encouraged in that respect. But when the swelling wasnt subsiding, we made the decision to have the knee evaluated." Westbrook also had surgery in May to repair cartilage in his right knee after he was hurt in Game 2 of Oklahoma Citys first-round playoff series with Houston. He had had never missed a game in his five NBA seasons before the injury. Westbrook averaged 23.2 points and 7.4 assists per game last season, but he wound up watching the Thunders second-round playoff exit to Memphis from the bench. Westbrook was hurt on April 24 when Rockets rookie Patrick Beverley lunged for a steal as Westbrook stopped to call a timeout in the second quarter of Game 2. He remained in the game and it wasnt until two days later that the team announced hed miss the rest of the playoffs. Beverley has said he wasnt trying to hurt anyone and was simply trying to make a play. Last week, Westbrook said once hes fully recovered, he doesnt plan on changing anything about his playing style, including his ability to drive to the basket. Oklahoma City needs offensive help alongside Kevin Durant and Westbrook following the departure of Kevin Martin, who averaged 14 points per game last season. Some of the offence is expected to be picked up by third-year guard Reggie Jackson, who averaged 13.9 points in the playoffs after averaging just 5.3 during the regular season. Also, forward Serge Ibaka returns after averaging 13.2 points per game last season. Presti said losing Westbrook in the early going was worth it for the peace of mind. "Of course, both from the standpoint wed like to have him on the floor as soon as possible, but in this case, although we lose a little bit of time, we gained a tremendous amount of confidence in the actual progression and recovery process of the knee itself," he said. cheap jerseys from china . Amarista celebrated his 25th birthday by delivering a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning to lift the San Diego Padres to a 4-2 victory over the Miami Marlins on Sunday. cheap jerseys . There is some potential on offence but overall the roster doesnt have enough talent to get excited about in 2013. Maybe QB Jake Locker makes the leap in his third year in the league, but Tennessees fortunes are still tied more closely to Johnson at running back, who will need to return to CJ2K for the Titans to have any chance at the playoffs this season. BOSTON -- David Krejci scored a second-period power-play goal and Chad Johnson made 22 saves for his second career shutout and the Boston Bruins earned a 4-0 victory over the last-place Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Krejcis 12th goal of the season at 2:06 of the second period was enough for the Bruins to win for the sixth time in their past eight games and maintain the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Dougie Hamilton, Carl Soderberg and Torey Krug scored in the third for Boston. Jarome Iginla and Zdeno Chara each had two assists. Johnson started in place of Tuukka Rask, who was pulled during Thursdays loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Edmonton goalie Ben Scrivens was coming off a scintillating performance against San Jose on Wednesday, when he set the NHL regular-season record for saves in a regulation shutout with 59 during the Oilers 3-0 win over the Sharks. Scrivens made 37 saves on Saturday. He kept them in the game again Saturday, but Edmonton had its three-game winning streak end. Acquired from Los Angeles on Jan. 15, Scrivens stopped all nine shots he faced in the first. But just 26 seconds into the second period, with the Oilers breaking out of their zone, Scrivens was penalized for tripping Brad Marchand just ouutside the crease, setting up Bostons third power play of the game. wholesale nfl jerseys. Scrivens scrambled from side to side midway through the man advantage, denying a pair of doorstep rebounds, but his shutout run ended at 126 minutes, 41 seconds when Krejcis shot from above the right circle was deflected into the net by Edmontons Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Hamilton netted his sixth of the season at 6:43 of the third when he scooped up his own rebound behind the net and swiftly slipped it past Scrivens right leg. Soderberg added his eighth of the season at 13:05 on a wrister that sailed over Scrivens glove, and Krugs 12th of the season came on a power play with 4:18 to play off an assist from Chara. NOTES: Veteran defenceman Mark Fraser made his Edmonton debut after being acquired from Toronto for two prospects Friday. ... The Bruins won their 12th straight against the Oilers, their longest active stretch versus any opponent. Bostons last loss came on Oct. 17, 2000. ... Captain Andrew Ference, who signed with the Oilers as a free agent during the off-season, made his return to Boston after spending seven seasons with the Bruins, helping the team win the 2011 Stanley Cup. Ference received a standing ovation when shown on the scoreboard during a first-period timeout. ' ' ' |
