Jarred Vanderbilt had quite a painful moment during Tuesday’s series opener.
The Los Angeles Lakers met the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday for Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. During the second quarter at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., the Lakers forward Vanderbilt leapt high to try to contest a dunk by Thunder big man Chet Holmgren.
Vanderbilt was not able to get there in time, but he did manage to pick up an ugly-looking finger injury in the process. The 27-year-old Vanderbilt slammed his pinky finger into the side of the backboard and appeared to suffer a gruesome dislocation.
Here is the video of the play.
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The NBC broadcast also showed players on the Thunder bench reacting with visible disgust to Vanderbilt’s injury.
Look at the Thunders reaction to Vando’s injury. pic.twitter.com/KknAV1Yg2e
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Vanderbilt left the game and did not return during the first half. While Vanderbilt, who is in his fourth season with the Lakers, is a defense-first player who shoots lefty anyway, he definitely has a reputation for being injury-prone. Now Vanderbilt’s latest injury in Game 1 of the Thunder series had to be especially frustrating, particularly given his personal history with OKC.
