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First look at Russell Westbrook in protective face mask (Photo)

By Patrick Schmidt

Feb 27, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after falling to the court against the Portland Trail Blazers during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after falling to the court against the Portland Trail Blazers during the fourth quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Russell Westbrook returns for the Oklahoma City Thunder after undergoing facial surgery to repair a divot in his face and is wearing this protective mask.

No, he’s not auditioning for a reprise of The Mask but Russell Westbrook is taking measures to protect his face after undergoing facial surgery three days ago after suffering the scary injury four days ago.

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Westbrook took a knee to the face from teammate Andre Roberson in the closing seconds in the loss to the Portland Trail Blazers but bounced back quickly to return to start for Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers as he looks for a fourth straight triple double.

The All-Star Game MVP and one of the candidates for league MVP talked with the NewsOK.com about the new clear mask he will wear as he recovers from the surgery.

Westbrook is trying to become the first player since Michael Jordan to have four triple doubles in a row when the Thunder host the 76ers tonight. Jordan had seven straight in the 1988-1989 season.

But if the streak comes to an end tonight he has a legit excuse after speaking to Thunder beat writer Anthony Slater from NewsOK.com about how different playing in a mask will be for him tonight and moving forward.

"Did you have any say in what the mask is going to look like?Just regular. I mean, you can’t get crazy with the mask. The league is only going to (allow) me to have the clear mask. So that’s all I got.Does (the mask) change any way in how you view things or anything?Yeah, it’s definitely different. I’ve never played in a mask, so it’s something I gotta adjust to. But I’m just gonna go with it."

Westbrook is averaging 26.5 points, 8.1 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game.

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