Westbrook back for OKC; KD better

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook will return to play Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Thunder guard confirmed at the morning shootaround.

Westbrook's face still was noticeably swollen after he was inadvertently kneed in the side of the head Friday night.

He will wear a clear protective mask to shield the injury. Known for his flashy fashion taste, Westbrook will have to wear the standard mask allowed by the league.

"It's regular," Westbrook said. "You can't get crazy with the mask. The league only lets you have a clear mask. So that's all I got."

Westbrook missed the Thunder's previous game Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers following a procedure to address a fractured zygomatic arch, the bone that connects the eye socket to the cheekbone. He suffered the injury Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers when teammate Andre Roberson inadvertently kneed him, leaving a visible dent in his face.

"It happened so quick. I was just blessed to be able to get up, to be able to try and continue the game," Westbrook said. "The process was really quick. Had a doctor in L.A. to take care of my little dent.

"It was definitely scary when you feel your face and it feels a little deformed. It's definitely a different feeling and definitely scary."

The Thunder host the struggling 76ers, a team that has won only 13 games this season. But with OKC in the middle of a playoff battle, only a game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for eighth place in the Western Conference with just 22 games remaining, the urgency level is rising.

Westbrook, though, discounted the notion that he is hurrying back from the injury.

"Nah, I think my health is more important than that," he said.

The 26-year-old Westbrook is averaging 26.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 45 games this season. He missed 14 games in November because of a fracture in his right hand. He returned at the end of the month wearing a protective brace on his hand for a number of games.

The mask, though, is another challenge Westbrook will have to cope with while trying to maintain his high level of performance.

"It's definitely different," he said. "I've never played in a mask, so it's something I have to adjust to, and I'm just going to go with it."

Westbrook has a run of three consecutive triple-doubles going, something that hasn't been done in the NBA since LeBron James in 2009. Westbrook put together a historic February, averaging 31.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game, numbers put up previously only by Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.

Westbrook was asked what his expectations are in his first game back.

"Uh, win," he said.

The Thunder still will be without Kevin Durant, who is "progressing well," according to Thunder coach Scott Brooks. Durant will be re-evaluated in a week after undergoing a minor procedure last week to alleviate soreness and discomfort in his surgically repaired right foot.

"I'm more just focused on trying to get this pain out of it and coming back when I'm ready, when I'm 100 percent ready," Durant said. "Not trying to force it or not trying to play with pain, just trying to conquer this little stage I'm in right now, which is getting it to stay right, working as hard as I can in the weight room and on the court. It's tough, but I've just got to be ready to go."

Durant had surgery in October to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot, which caused him to miss the opening six weeks of the season. He has missed 33 games this season with a number of injuries -- sprained ankle, sprained left toe and now the latest procedure.

"I know why I was having so much pain," Durant said. "To have that corrected feels so much better. When someone digs in your foot, you're going to have some pain. That's what they did when they reinserted a different screw. All that pain I had before was gone, but there's still some pain there from them going back in there and stitching me up. But I should be fine here soon."

The repaired fracture in Durant's foot is healing as expected, but a screw inserted in the procedure was rubbing against a different bone, causing extreme soreness. Durant tried to play through the discomfort in two games but was visibly limited, particularly in the fourth quarter. With the increased pain, the decision was made to take measures to help address it.

"I know I can't be out just hobbling around, limping around on one foot," Durant said. "I need to be out there at full strength."

Durant was asked whether he's confident he'll be back in the regular season.

"No doubt, no doubt," he said. "Looking forward to it, returning this season, no doubt. I'm not packing it in at all."