Jarred Vanderbilt Ruled Out Of Game 1 Vs. Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers announced that forward Jarred Vanderbilt was ruled out of Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a right finger injury.

Vanderbilt injured his finger when he went up for a block attempt on a Chet Holmgren dunk midway through the second quarter. He missed the block attempt and hit his hand on the backboard, immediately going down in pain.

While Vanderbilt hasn’t been a big piece of the Lakers’ rotation in recent weeks, he was expected to see an increased role this series to try to stop Oklahoma City’s perimeter scoring. He played six minutes of action before getting injured and had two points and one rebound.

It remains to be seen how long Vanderbilt will be out, but JJ Redick will likely shortened his rotation to make up for the loss. He could also look to Bronny James or Adou Thiero for minutes off the bench, although it is tough to throw young guys into the fire against a team like the Thunder.

The Lakers will be back on the court for Game 2 at Paycom Center on Thursday, and Vanderbilt’s status will be worth monitoring leading up to that.

LeBron James discusses Lakers approach to Thunder series

The Lakers know they are heavy underdogs against the defending-champion Thunder, but LeBron James discussed how they will approach this series.

“It’s the same approach as last series. I mean, we’re undermanned and we’re the underdog and we understand that,” James said on the latest episode of “Mind the Game” podcast.

“So to heighten that even more, by like five, because of their ability, what they bring to the table. They’re one of the most historic basketball teams offensively and defensively that our league has seen. And they got one of the most efficient players in our league history. And he’s probably gonna be the MVP again. So, we cannot shortcut the details.

“In order for us to give ourselves a chance to win games, we cannot shortcut the details in the game plan. We know we can’t stop everything. It’s impossible, they’re that great. But if we can control the controllables, which is another one of not turning the ball over because we know how great they are when it comes to pick-sixes and how handsy they are and the athleticism and speed that they play with.

“We can give ourselves a chance, and that’s all you can ask for in the postseason, is a chance to compete to win games.”