TITLE: Vanderbilt Listed as Questionable for Game 3; Reaves Responds, Kennard Plays Through Pain
SLUG: lakers-injury-updates-vanderbilt-reaves-kennard-game-3
CONTENT:
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is officially questionable for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday after dislocating his right finger in the first half of Game 1, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The 25-year-old was hurt while trying to block a shot by Thunder center Chet Holmgren. Vanderbilt averaged 3.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 13.4 minutes during the opening-round series versus the Houston Rockets. He logged only six minutes in Game 5 of that matchup and did not play in the decisive Game 6.
Lakers Trim Rotation
Head coach Darvin Ham used an eight-man rotation in Friday’s Game 2 loss, inserting Luke Kennard, Jaxson Hayes and Jake LaRavia off the bench before emptying the reserves in garbage time.
Reaves Rebounds in Game 2
Austin Reaves shook off a 3-for-16 shooting night in Game 1 by pouring in 31 points and handing out six assists in Game 2. “That’s what we need Austin to be,” Kennard said, per the Los Angeles Times. “Even though he missed some shots last game, he was aggressive and he just got back into it. … We need him to continue to be aggressive. He’s such a good teammate, easy to play with.”
Kennard Battling Neck Soreness
Kennard has been managing neck soreness for several weeks, the California Post reported. The guard appeared on the Game 2 injury report but was not listed for Game 3. He scored 10 points in 26 minutes on Friday.
Columnist Sees Series as Lost Cause
In a Los Angeles Times column, Bill Plaschke argued that Oklahoma City’s regular-season dominance has carried into the playoffs and declared the Lakers’ season “over.” Plaschke wrote that, without Luka Dončić, Los Angeles has no realistic path to an upset and added that the star should not contemplate returning from his hamstring injury with the series already out of reach.
Source: Hoops Rumors
