NBA Playoffs Round 1: Lakers, Heat win after Grizzlies' Morant, Bucks' Antetokounmpo suffer injuries
NBA Playoffs: Sixers, Celtics, Knicks advance with Game 1 win
Morant hurt his already-sore right hand midway into the fourth quarter trying to brace a hard landing to a high fall after contact while driving to the basket.
Morant's taped right hand took the impact. Morant rose and ran off to the locker room, grabbing his sore hand and screaming as he exited after scoring 18 points.
"I'm in a good bit of pain," Morant said after the game, declaring his status was "in jeopardy" for game two on Wednesday. "Feels like it's one thing after another."
Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said after the game that x-rays on Morant's right hand were negative but he would likely be kept out of workouts, his status "one game at a time."
At Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo went onto the floor in the first quarter after defensive contact on a move to the hoop and suffered a lower back bruise that ended his night with game two in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
"We'll monitor him," said Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who added an x-ray came back "clear" on Antetokounmpo.
"We have to wait and see what the doctors say... you've got to take it day by day and see how he's doing and how he feels."
The Heat, among the NBA's worst 3-point shooting teams this season, made15-of-25 from beyond the arc at Milwaukee.
While the Bucks had gone 11-8 in games without Antetokounmpo this season, the Heat led by as many as 15 points with the big man gone.
Miami suffered its own injury setback when guard Tyler Herro suffered a broken right hand diving for a loose ball in the final seconds of the second quarter. He's expected to be out four to six weeks after averaging 20.1 points this season.
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 35 points and 11 assists. Gabe Vincent was 4-of-5 from 3-point range and Kevin Love was 4-of-7 on 3-pointers.
With Antetokounmpo scoring only eight points, Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 33 points.
Clippers defeat Suns
Kawhi Leonard scored 13 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter to spark the Los Angeles Clippers to a 115-110 victory at Phoenix in their series opener.
Russell Westbrook had nine points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots, the biggest on Devin Booker in the final seconds to help seal victory.
Kevin Durant had 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds but suffered his first loss since joining the Suns from Brooklyn.
Clippers forward Paul George was out with a sprained right knee and is questionable for the playoffs.
Japan's Rui Hachimura came off the Lakers bench to match an NBA record for reserve playoff scoring with 29 points while a closing 30-11 LA run.
"That's probably the best game he has had in his career," Memphis' Desmond Bane said of Hachimura. "Let's see if he can do it again on Wednesday."
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Austin Reaves, making his playoff debut, scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter for the Lakers after Memphis opened the period with an 11-2 run for a 101-98 lead.
Anthony Davis had 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots for the Lakers while LeBron James contributed 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists and D'Angelo Russell added 19 points and a game-high seven assists.
It was the first time since 1988 the Lakers had four players with 20 or more points in a playoff game.
Jaren Jackson led Memphis with 31 points.
Monday, April 17, 2023 at 3:11 am