The Thunder haven't been at full strength this entire season and it appears Oklahoma City won't be the rest of the way, either.
The team announced, via press release Tuesday, Serge Ibaka underwent knee surgery to address soreness in his right knee. He will be out for approximately four-to-six weeks.
Until three games ago, Ibaka was the only Thunder player to have appeared in every regular-season game this season.
The regular season ends for the Thunder on April 15, which is just less than four weeks from today. It's conceivable Ibaka could return for the playoffs if the Thunder qualify.
"It was determined the necessary next step in the evaluation was to see a specialist to discuss options to help alleviate the soreness and swelling," OKC general manager Sam Presti said. "During the consultation with Dr. David Altchek, his recommendation was for Serge to have arthoscopic surgery to remedy the problematic area."
ESPN.com reported Ibaka had no structural damage and that the surgery was done to just "clean out" the area.
The Thunder are a half-game ahead of New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. OKC has 15 games left. The Thunder have been without Kevin Durant for more than half the season and haven't been at full strength in the playoffs the past two seasons. Ibaka missed time last year in the playoffs and Westbrook was out two seasons ago.
Meanwhile, Ibaka has missed the past three games and the Thunder have used a number of players to fill in. The past two games, OKC has started Enes Kanter and Steven Adams. Adams and Kanter have combined for 66 points and 50 rebounds.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
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