Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt leaves early in Game 1 loss to Thunder after gruesome finger injury
The Los Angeles Lakers lost forward Jarred Vanderbilt early to a gruesome finger injury Tuesday night.
Vanderbilt rose to try to block Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren at the rim in the Game 1 loss, but missed and ended up slamming his right hand hard into the Paycom Center backboard. As Holmgren went to celebrate on the other side, Vanderbilt doubled over and screamed in obvious pain as he clutched his right hand.
Vanderbilt was quickly helped on and off the field. The Thunder bench’s reaction to his finger said it all.
Vanderbilt suffered a complete dislocation of his right little finger, Lakers coach JJ Redick said. He finished with two points and a rebound in six minutes. This season he averaged 4.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Announcement
It’s unclear how long Vanderbilt will be sidelined with the finger injury, but it’s not a good sign for the Lakers as they deep into their Western Conference semifinal series. The Thunder took a lead in the second half Tuesday night to secure a 108-90 victory. That gave them their sixth straight playoff win, dating back to last season’s NBA Finals win, which tied a franchise record.
Vanderbilt is just the latest injury the Lakers are dealing with this postseason. While they just got Austin Reaves back from an oblique injury, star Luka Doncic is still out with a hamstring injury.
Announcement
The second game of the series is scheduled for Thursday night.