Game 1 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies played out as advertised as both teams were physical from the jump. However, Los Angeles was able to steal Game 1 to give them the series lead.
The Lakers looked to pound the Grizzlies inside with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a sound strategy considering they’re without Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. The two squads fought teeth and nail on every possession, jostling for position for rebounds and positioning that resulted in numerous foul calls.
The physicality only increased throughout the afternoon and it looked like it got to Davis as he came down with a stinger in his right arm going for an offensive rebound. Davis was seen mouthing that he couldn’t move his arm and was escorted back to the locker room before the end of the first half. However, he was able to return in the second half and go right back to dominating defensively.
After the game, Davis was able to give Lakers fans a sigh of relief as he said he would be fine, explaining what happened, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Jaren Jackson kind of came down on my shoulder. I didn’t see the play so I’m not sure if he came down or just hit it or whatever, but had a little stinger where my arm went completely numb. It was weak, I couldn’t lift it up or hold it up myself. I couldn’t move it. Just went to the back early to maybe get a couple seconds or a minute or so and went to the back and just did some strength things to get feeling back and I was good to go.”
The same couldn’t be said for Ja Morant, though, as he came down hard on his hand and was forced to miss the remainder of the game. X-Rays came back negative after the game, but Morant revealed that he is in a lot of pain and his status for Game 2 on Wednesday night is in jeopardy, via Tim McMahon of ESPN:
X-rays were negative, but Morant described his status for Wednesday’s Game 2 as “in jeopardy.” “I’m in a good bit of pain,” Morant said after the 128-112 loss.
“I’m going to do anything to try to be out there for my team, be out there on the floor,” said Morant, an All-Star who averaged 26.2 points and 8.1 assists this season. “It’s pretty much how much I can tolerate. If I feel like I can go out there and be somewhat myself, I’ll probably play. But if not, I don’t want to do anything to hurt the team.”
Injuries could very well determine who wins this series, and right now it seems to be favoring the Lakers. However, even if Morant is unable to go in Game 2, Los Angeles can’t afford to let their guard down as Memphis has proven they can win games without their superstar.
D’Angelo Russell not losing confidence after Play-In Tournament
After a slow start to the game, D’Angelo Russell came through against the Grizzlies as he scored 19 points. It was an encouraging performance from Russell, who struggled mightily against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In Tournament, but it looks like he was able to remain confident in himself.
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