Updated: May 5, 2012, 8:30 PM ET
By Jeff Caplan | ESPNDallas.comDALLAS -- Oklahoma City Thunder starting center Kendrick Perkins will miss the remainder of Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks Saturday after leaving in the first quarter with a right hip strain.
Western Conference Playoffs
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The Thunder are trying to close out the defending champions in a sweep.
It's not clear when the 6-foot-10, 270-pounder injured his hip and there was no early word as to how severe the injury might be. If the Mavs win Saturday, the series will shift back to Oklahoma City on Monday for Game 5.
If the Thunder close it out, they will await the winner of the Los Angeles Lakers-Denver Nuggets series.
Perkins averaged 5.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in 27.7 minutes in the first three games and was a strong defensive presence in the paint. He left Game 4 with two rebounds and two assists in 7:51.
Oklahoma City has received little production from backup center Nick Collison in the series and Nazr Mohammed has played just five minutes of garbage time in OKC's Game 3 blowout.
Jeff Caplan
ESPNDallas.comJeff Caplan joined ESPNDallas.com in December 2009. Jeff covers the Mavericks, Stars and colleges. He has a wealth of experience in the area, covering multiple beats in his 11-plus years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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