Los Angeles Lakers guard Quentin Grimes banged a finger on his right hand during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, and X-rays on it came back negative. Coach JJ Redick delivered the news after the game, as relayed by Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Grimes checked out with 9:14 remaining in the fourth quarter and did not return. Redick said Grimes “banged his finger” and that the X-rays were negative, without offering further detail on the finger or on how long it might bother him.
Grimes had started in place of Luka Dončić, who missed his second game of the season because of lower-back tightness, and finished with 12 points, four assists and one steal in 32 minutes on 4-for-12 shooting. The Lakers won 121-116 after building a 38-14 first-quarter lead that Detroit nearly erased, with Austin Reaves scoring a season-high 43 points to improve the team to 9-2.
A Shallow Margin for a Team on the Second Night of a Back-to-Back
The Lakers close the back-to-back in Atlanta on Monday, and they will do it with two backcourt questions instead of one. Dončić’s back kept him out on Sunday, and Grimes is now carrying a finger the team has not cleared him on.
A 9-2 start built on an MVP-level scoring pace from Dončić leaves the roster thin on the nights he does not play. Sunday showed the depth can absorb one absence; Grimes’ exit is a reminder of how quickly a second rotation piece can go down inside the same stretch.
The Official Injury Report Will Settle Both Before Tipoff
Neither status has been resolved publicly. Both are expected to firm up on the official injury report closer to the 7 p.m. ET tipoff at State Farm Arena, which will determine how much of the backcourt Los Angeles has available.
Source: JJ Redick’s postgame remarks, via Dan Woike of The Athletic
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