Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins need rest for his strained hip muscle and will get at least a few days.
The Thunder announced Sunday night that Perkins underwent an MRI that confirmed a strained muscle in his right hip suffered in the first half of Saturday’s win at Dallas that eliminated the defending champions in four games.
According to the team, Perkins’ return is based on his progress and recovery in the coming days, which feature plenty of days off for the Thunder.
Second-seeded Oklahoma City is awaiting the winner of the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, which is guaranteed to last at least five games and could go longer.
If the Lakers can close out the Nuggets in five games, the earliest a Lakers-Thunder series could start is Thursday.
The Thunder would like to have Perkins healthy for any opponent, but his size and low-post defense would really help against the Lakers’ big tandem of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.
Perkins missed just one game in the regular season, averaging 5.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. He averaged 5.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in the first three games vs. Dallas before going down eight minutes into Game 4.
Hopefully he will take the time needed to heal and be back against the Lakers.