Russell Westbrook Suffers Left Ankle Sprain

2:01pm: Further tests and evaluation on Westbrook’s ankle confirmed that it’s just a sprain, tweets Young. Before determining a timeline for Westbrook’s return, the team wants to see how he responds to treatment, according to Young, who notes that the point guard will miss the Thunder’s game against Cleveland on Wednesday.

8:45am: The Thunder defeated the Pelicans on Monday night for their fifth consecutive win, moving above .500 for the first time this season. However, they also lost their star player in the process. As Royce Young of ESPN.com details, Russell Westbrook left in the third quarter with what the team is calling a left ankle sprain.

Westbrook figures to undergo further tests today to assess the severity of the sprain and determine a potential recovery timetable. According to Young, X-rays on Monday night were negative. Still, the former MVP was in a good deal of pain when he went down with the injury, and his absence will likely be measured in weeks rather than days if the sprain is severe.

With no practice scheduled for Tuesday, the Thunder may not provide an update Westbrook’s status until Wednesday, Young writes.

If Westbrook is forced out of action for the foreseeable future, Dennis Schroder would almost certainly return to the Thunder’s starting lineup, with Raymond Felton backing him up. While Schroder is one of the NBA’s best backup point guards, Oklahoma City would miss Westbrook — the club is 5-2 with him in the lineup and 0-2 without him so far this season.