Russell Westbrook was left with blood streaming down his forehead after a foul from Zach Collins split his forehead open.
With two minutes to play in the third quarter of Saturday night’s game against the Spurs, Lakers guard Westbrook grabbed an offensive rebound and went up for a layup underneath the basket.
But he took a shot from Spurs big man Zach Collins that caused blood to pour from his forehead.
Russell Westbrook was left with blood streaming down his head after a foul from Zach Collins
Westbrook was pulled away by his Lakers teammates with LeBron James checking on him
After enduring the hard foul, Westbrook jumped up and made it known he was less than impressed with the physical play before being pulled away by his Lakers teammates.
LeBron James quickly realized that Westbrook was bleeding profusely from his forehead, which was split open on the foul by Collins, and applied a towel to his face, which was covered in blood, as he helped his teammate off the floor.
Collins was then ejected for the hard foul before the Lakers went on to win 143-138.
James scored a season-high 39 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Lakers escaped with the victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
San Antonio has lost eight straight, tied for the fourth-longest skid in franchise history.
James applied a towel to Westbrook’s face, which was covered in blood, as he left the court
James matched a career high with seven 3-pointers. He finished 11 for 21 from the field, including a booming one-handed dunk on a lob from Westbrook with a minute remaining in the first half.
While James was playing in his second game following a five-game absence, Los Angeles center Anthony Davis sat out with a bruised left calf he sustained in Friday´s victory over San Antonio.
The Lakers (7-12) have defeated the Spurs three times in a seven-game span.
Dennis Schroder had 21 points and six assists for Los Angeles. Former Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV had 19 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to help seal the Lakers´ fifth victory in six games.
James celebrates a score against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of the game
Keldon Johnson had 26 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio. Tre Jones added 23 points and 13 assists, and Devin Vassell had 19 points.
After trailing the entirety of Friday´s loss, San Antonio scored the game´s first points on a short jumper by Jakob Poeltl. It was the Spurs´ first lead since Nov. 20 against the Lakers.
After shooting 6 for 33 on 3-pointers in Friday´s loss, the Spurs had a season-high 18 3-pointers. San Antonio was 8 for 15 on 3s in the first half and 18 for 37 overall.
The momentum stalled when the Spurs lost two starters to right quadriceps injuries in the second quarter.
Poeltl had 12 points and nine rebounds in 10 minutes before exiting the game with 7:59 left in the first half. Poeltl felt soreness after landing awkwardly on a dunk.
San Antonio then lost rookie forward Jeremy Sochan with 4:54 remaining in the first half. Sochan took a knee to his right thigh when his layup attempt was blocked by Thomas Bryant.
Westbrook and forward Troy Brown Jr. (7) congratulate forward Wenyen Gabriel (35)
SUNS 113, JAZZ 112
Deandre Ayton notched season highs with 29 points and 21 rebounds, Devin Booker added 27 points and the Phoenix Suns held on for a hard-fought 113-112 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
The Jazz led 81-78 after three quarters, but the Suns pushed ahead 99-93 by midway through the fourth. The game remained tight through the final minutes, but Phoenix never lost the lead. On top of Ayton’s scoring and rebounding, he also had a crucial steal in the final minutes that helped thwart a final Jazz rally.
Ayton grabbed his 21th rebound of the game on the final possession, securing Booker’s miss off a 3-pointer to keep the Jazz from a final possession.
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) shoots over Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen
RAPTORS 105, MAVERICKS 100
O.G. Anunoby scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, Fred VanVleet also had 26, and the Toronto Raptors beat Dallas 105-100 Saturday, snapping a four-game losing streak against the Mavericks.
Chris Boucher scored a season-high 22 points and had 13 rebounds as the Raptors improved to 7-2 at home.
Luka Doncic scored 24 points and Dorian Finney-Smith had 16 as the Mavericks lost their third straight. Dallas is 1-6 on the road, with a visit to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on tap Sunday.
O.G. Anunoby (3) of the Toronto Raptors shoots over Josh Green (8) of the Dallas Mavericks
ROCKETS 118, THUNDER 105
Jalen Green had 28 points and a career-high nine assists, Alperen Sengun added 21 points, a career-best 18 rebounds and seven assists, and the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-105 on Saturday night.
Rookie Jabari Smith Jr. had his third double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won back-to-back games for the first time since beating Portland last March 25-26.
Smith is the 12th player 19 years old or younger to have at least three double-doubles within his first 18 games. Smith recorded his 100th career defensive rebound in the first quarter as well.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 13 of the Thunder´s first 22 points of the game and has scored 30 or more in four straight games.
Josh Giddey chipped in 18 points and Jalen Williams scored 11 for the Thunder, who have dropped four of five.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) makes a reverse layup
