Lakers' Jarred Vanderbilt's Gruesome Finger Injury Gets Telling Reaction From Thunder Bench
On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers got their second-round playoff series underway against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center, and despite keeping Game 1 close at times, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company pulled away in the second half and never looked back.
The Thunder went on to win Game 1 in convincing fashion, 108-90, with the Lakers simply looking outmatched against arguably the best team in the league.
Along with suffering a loss to start this series on the road, the Lakers saw veteran forward Jarred Vanderbilt go down with a dislocated right finger, ruling him out for the final two quarters.
Jarred Vanderbilt Suffers Gruesome Finger Dislocation
Look at the Thunders reaction to Vando's injury. pic.twitter.com/KknAV1Yg2e
- Showtime Luka (@showtimeluka) May 6, 2026
Vanderbilt suffered the finger injury right before halftime and right in front of the Thunder's bench, who were visibly shaken by the gruesome injury while seeing the defensive-minded forward in some serious pain.
It's clear from the reactions on the faces of Jalen Williams and Jared McCain that Vanderbilt's injury wasn't pretty and bad enough that they had to look away immediately.
Better view of the Jared Vanderbilt injury
- Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) May 6, 2026
Likely right 5th digit (pinky) dislocation/and or fracture pic.twitter.com/81HG70NN4r
Vanderbilt was followed by the camera crew down the tunnel, where he could be seen screaming in pain, as it wasn't only gruesome to look at but clearly very painful.
Before the game mercifully came to an end for the Lakers, ESPN's Shams Charania provided an update on Vanderbilt's injury.
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt has sustained a full dislocation of his right pinky finger in a gruesome injury tonight, sources tell ESPN.
- Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 6, 2026
As of right now, it remains to be seen how much time Vanderbilt will potentially miss due to the finger dislocation, as it might not be an injury he can quickly bounce back from.
Obviously, losing one of the team's best defenders is a costly blow for JJ Redick's squad. Even though Vanderbilt can be a liability offensively as he is not the most consistent shooter when the ball swings his way, the veteran's effort can't be replaced easily.
The Lakers will likely have to lean a bit more on forward Jake LaRavia with Vanderbilt potentially set to miss time. LaRavia, much like Vanderbilt, plays with a lot of effort defensively, but can be a liability on offense, as he hasn't shot consistently well during his first season with the Lakers.
LeBron James and company will get back to work on Thursday for Game 2 in Oklahoma City before the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 and Game 4.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi as Lakers' Jarred Vanderbilt's Gruesome Finger Injury Gets Telling Reaction From Thunder Bench.
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