The Thunder Bench's Reaction to Jarred Vanderbilt's Finger Injury Tells Just How Nasty It Is
A reaction can be very telling without anyone even saying a word.
This was the case during Tuesday night's Game 1 of the Lakers vs. Thunder playoff series. Los Angeles forward Jarred Vanderbilt was defending Oklahoma City star Chet Holmgren as the latter went up for a dunk in the second quarter. Vanderbilt threw his right hand up towards the ball, but ended up hitting the backboard awkwardly. His right pinky finger bent and seemed to get jammed on the backboard, causing Vanderbilt to scream in pain. He held his hand on the court before getting help walking off.
Cameras caught the moment Vanderbilt walked to the Thunder sideline in severe pain, and the OKC players definitely didn't mask their reaction to seeing his finger. Multiple players can be seen making shocked faces before turning to look away. Jared McCain specifically looked disgusted by Vanderbilt's finger.
If anything, this Thunder bench reaction just proves how severe, and nasty, Vanderbilt's finger injury is.
The Thunder bench reaction to Jarred Vanderbilt's injury.
- Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 6, 2026
(h/t @showtimeluka)
pic.twitter.com/Czo41GveyI
The Lakers haven't announced an official diagnosis for Vanderbilt, but based on the video he may have at least dislocated his pinky finger if not broken it. He was ruled out for the rest of the game. The team will likely share Vanderbilt's diagnosis and his status moving forward after the game. He is a lefty, and he sustained the injury on his right (non-shooting) hand, which is some slight good news for Los Angeles.
During five appearances off the bench in the first-round series vs. the Rockets, Vanderbilt played 66 minutes and scored 18 points with 22 rebounds and two assists.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Thunder Bench's Reaction to Jarred Vanderbilt's Finger Injury Tells Just How Nasty It Is.
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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 7:51 PM.