The first two games of Sunday’s action in the NBA playoffs wound up being well-played contests, but they came with a price for a handful of superstar players.
The first game of the day featured the Lakers visiting the Grizzlies, and the injury issues began in the first half. With just a few minutes left in the second quarter, the oft-injured Anthony Davis came down clutching his arm after a rebound attempt. While walking off of the court, cameras caught him mouthing, “I can’t move my arm.”
NBA Stars Dropping Like Flies In Playoff Games
Ja Morant headed to the locker room with an apparent injury after this play. pic.twitter.com/MZOrSN9Tmz
— ESPN (@espn) April 16, 2023
There was plenty of concern for Los Angeles as they went to halftime, but Davis was miraculously healed within about a half an hour’s time. He played the rest of the game and the Lakers avoided a serious scare.
Ja Morant wasn’t as lucky in the second half. In a close game and half way though the 4th quarter, he took off and skied above Davis, but contact was created and Morant found himself parallel to the ground and falling fast. He tried catching himself with his hands, but rolled up on his own fingers, as revealed in a gruesome slow motion replay.
Morant missed the rest of the game and the Grizzlies got blown out the rest of the way. Luckily, the x-rays on his hand were negative, though his status for Game 2 is “in jeopardy”.
Things were worse in the second game, for both teams.
Two More Injuries In Heat vs. Bucks Game
Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (lower back contusion) will not return to Game 1 of Bucks-Heat, per @ShamsCharania.
Giannis sustained the injury on this collision with Kevin Love in the 1st quarter 🤕pic.twitter.com/ep8RFTvVfD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 16, 2023
It started with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first quarter, when he came down hard on his back or tail bone under the basket. He was having a hard time standing up straight and left the game. He attempted a return, but eventually ran off into the locker room for good. Giannis didn’t play at all in the second half.
It is unknown what his status going forward will be, but losing Antetokounmpo would be one of the more significant losses that any team could suffer. There will be more information on the MVP candidate on Monday morning.
Tyler Herro was in pain after an apparent hand injury pic.twitter.com/k6OUQMt5JD
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 16, 2023
But it didn’t stop there in the game between the Bucks and the Heat. Toward the end of the second quarter, Heat guard Tyler Herro dove for a loose ball and fell awkwardly on his hand. He ran off of the court immediately in obvious pain, and it was quickly announced that he had broken the hand and will miss the next 4–6 weeks of action.
According to Reggie Miller during the TNT broadcast, the Heat losing Herro was a bigger loss than the Bucks losing Giannis.
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