Danny Green is coming off one of his roughest performances yet during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-104 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Perhaps even more concerning is the hip issue that recently popped up.
Hip tightness seemingly started to hinder Green during Game 2 when he played only 22 minutes while going 1-of-8 from the field. This ultimately spurred Lakers head coach Frank Vogel to rely more on the bench, including seldom-used JR Smith.
Green started was not able to bounce back in Game 3, missing all six of his shot attempts in 17 minutes of play. This has now raised some speculation regarding the severity of his injury at such a crucial point in the season.
However, Green downplayed any concerns about the hip and is optimistic that he can get back on track. “I’m playing man, so I’m good. I’m feeling fine. I’ll be fine,” he said.
“I think more so than anything have to get everybody on the same page mentally. Physically, I think we’re fine. Mentally, emotionally, I think guys need to stay in the moment and not look at the light at the end of the tunnel. So we have a job to do. Take it a step at a time, a possession at a time, a day at a time, and it goes from there.”
Vogel confirmed that Green is feeling some hip tightness and added that it will be something for the staff to keep their eye on.
“Yeah, he has some tightness in his hip. It’s not an injury,” Vogel noted. “They’re trying on a daily basis to make sure that they keep it loose. I don’t know how much that’s having an impact on his play, but he’s able to go. So we’ll continue to monitor it.”
Although Green’s comments indicate that he is hopeful about being able to play through the tightness, the perspective from Vogel may very well tell a different story.
It is no secret that the poor shooting from the starting backcourt has held the Lakers’ offense back and it was a significant factor in Game 3. It has led to speculation regarding whether or not Vogel will give more minutes to Alex Caruso, Dion Waiters or Talen Horton-Tucker to finish out the series.
Vogel blames lack of execution for loss in Game 3
While the poor shooting from Green has been magnified as of late, that was hardly the only reason the Lakers failed to get much going offense. After all, it is difficult for any team establish a rhythm while turning the ball over 19 times.
Vogel said execution will remain a point of emphasis heading into Game 4.
“It wasn’t about effort. It was just about execution, but again credit their defense,” he said. “They played a terrific game, forced a lot of those turnovers. We’ll look at the tape and see how we can be better.”
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