Andre Roberson injures left leg, taken off court on stretcher
— -- Oklahoma City?guard Andre Roberson?was taken off the court on a stretcher Saturday after his left leg appeared to give out on the receiving end of an alley-oop attempt against the Detroit Pistons.
Sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the preliminary report said Roberson suffered a ruptured patellar tendon and is expected to have season-ending surgery. Roberson will undergo further testing once he returns to Oklahoma City from Detroit.
Roberson, 26, missed eight games earlier this season with patellar tendinitis in his left knee.
"He's certainly a huge loss," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "Everyone's been able to see that since he's kinda come back to us and what he's been able to do defensively. And he's found a way to be, offensively, a really effective player for us."
Saturday's injury happened with 4:33 remaining in the third quarter of the Thunder's 121-108 victory.
Roberson, who was in the right corner, broke to the basket as? Russell Westbrook?lobbed the ball to him. However, Roberson crumpled to the court after his leg bent in an awkward direction. He?appeared to land on either his back or buttocks and then slid off to the side of the court.
As concerned teammates gathered around, Roberson was examined by trainers for several minutes before being put on a stretcher -- sitting -- and taken off the court. His leg was placed in an air cast.
"That's a tough moment, to see that, to be around that," teammate Carmelo Anthony?said. "It was like it happened in slow motion. My prayers are with Dre."
The Thunder will miss Roberson's defense. Entering Saturday's game, he ranked second in defensive real plus-minus among players to average at least 20 minutes per game this season. In addition, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the Thunder are averaging 96.8 points per 100 possessions with Roberson on the court and 107.7 points without him.
Roberson was making his 39th start of the season and is averaging 5.0 points and 4.7 rebounds.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Michael Rothstein and Royce Young contributed to this report.
