LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Memphis star guard Ja Morant suffered injuries on Sunday in NBA playoff series openers that threatened to disrupt two title contenders.
The Los Angeles Lakers took advantage of Morant’s absence late in the fourth quarter for a late surge that produced a 128-112 victory at Memphis while the top-seeded Bucks, who lost their Greek star in the first quarter, lost 130-117 to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.
Injury fears for two of the NBA’s most electrifying stars were amplified by losses for their clubs in best-of-seven first round series openers, both injury setbacks coming on drives to the basket.
Morant hurt his already-injured right hand midway into the fourth quarter trying to brace a hard landing to a high fall when Anthony Davis of the Lakers blocked him in hopes of getting a charging foul.
Morant’s right hand, already taped after a late-season injury, took the impact. After a few seconds, Morant rose and ran off to the locker room, grabbing his sore hand and screaming as he exited.
“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 and his status was “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 forced him out the rest of the way.
The Greek star went to the locker room and never returned to the contest with game two in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
The Heat, among the NBA’s worst 3-point shooting teams this season, made 15-of-25 from beyond the arc.
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 35 points and 11 assists while Bam Adebayo added 22 points and Kevin Love had 18 off the bench. Gabe Vincent was 4-of-5 from 3-point range and Love was 4-of-7 on 3-pointers.
With Antetokounmpo scoring only eight points, Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 33 points and Bobby Portis added 21 off the bench.
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 and did not return for the second half.
Antetokounmpo averaged 31.1 points and 11.8 rebounds a game this season, ranking in the NBA’s top five in both categories for a Bucks squad that had an NBA-best 58-24 record.
Memphis ranked second in the Western Conference at 51-31 and Morant averaged 26.2 points a game.
Herro averaged 20.1 points a game for the Heat this season.
– Lakers win big –
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 — including 15 consecutive points in one stretch — came mostly with Memphis reeling after Morant’s exit.
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.
“(We were) Just playing hard,” Reaves said. “We’ve got guys who have been in this position, LeBron, AD, big time players. Rui played hard.
“It was all about just closing the game. We were right there the whole game. It was a game of runs. We’ve got those guys to close games. It was a great team win.”
Jaren Jackson led the Grizzlies with 31 points while Desmond Bane added 22 and Morant scored 18 with six rebounds.
© Agence France-Presse
