With the No. 6 seed in the West locked up for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team will face the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday without All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, Taj Gibson, and Andre Roberson, according to a report by ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

This marks the first game Westbrook has missed this season, playing 34.8 minutes per game through 80 games this season.

Having averaged a triple-double for the season for the first time since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62, as well as having broken the legend's mark for most triple-doubles in a season, Westbrook's health and fitness is now of the utmost importance to the Thunder as they head into a grueling playoff series with the third-seeded Houston Rockets.

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While the playoffs are not supposed to have any bearing on a regular season award like the MVP, the winner of this series will likely have a large case in a very close vote for the honor this season.

Westbrook and former teammate James Harden have gone toe-to-toe in an incredible stat-for-stat battle for the ages this season, with both players averaging insanely impressive numbers for their respective teams.

In the absence of these three players, Semaj Christon, Jerami Grant, and Domantas Sabonis are bound to see additional minutes against a Minnesota team that ranks seventh-worst in the league.