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Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a serious finger injury during the team’s opening game loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.
Vanderbilt moved up to block Thunder star Chet Holmgren’s dunk, but missed. Instead, his pinky got caught in the board as he fell. Vanderbilt was hurting mightily, and even the Thunder bench grimaced at Vanderbilt’s handball.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt walks off the court in pain during the first half of Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 5, 2026, in the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. (Alonzo Adams/Image Images)
“I mean, it looked pretty scary in my opinion,” Thunder guard Jared McCain said after Oklahoma City finished off a 108-90 victory. “I don’t even know, to be honest, what he was seeing. He looked pretty bad though. So prayers for him. Sending him love.”
Vanderbilt, which averaged 4.4 points per game during the regular season, only played six minutes in Game 1. He had two points and one rebound.
Lakers coach JJ Redick addressed Vanderbilt’s mishap after the game, calling it a “freak injury.”
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt runs down the court during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on May 5, 2026. (Alonzo Adams/Image Images)
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“I went to check on him because he looked bad,” Redick said. “He was screaming audibly. I knew he had done something. Obviously we’re disappointed. But that happened and it’s just a freak injury.”
Los Angeles has been hit by the injury bug over the past month. The team lost Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic in the final games of the regular season. Reaves returned to the court for Game 5 against the Houston Rockets.
Against the Thunder he only scored eight points in 36 minutes.
Doncic is still recovering from a hamstring injury, which cost him the final five games of the regular season and now the opener against Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt shoots as Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jared McCain and Alex Caruso defend during the first half of Game 1 of the NBA second-round playoffs in Oklahoma City on May 5, 2026. (Kyle Phillips/AP)
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Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday night.
