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SAN ANTONIO — Russell Westbrook had blood protecting his face after taking a flagrant foul to his brow when LeBron James intervened to drag the Los Angeles Lakers level guard away from the fray and canopy the reduce with a towel within the third quarter Saturday.
It wasn’t the flashiest sequence the pair had been concerned in collectively in L.A.’s 143-138 win over the Spurs — that distinction belongs to their double alley-oop within the first half — but it surely was probably the most vital.
“His well being is extra essential than the sport of basketball,” James mentioned after the sport. “So simply tried to cease that and let the coaching employees do their job after we bought him over to the bench.”
Spurs large man Zach Collins caught Westbrook throughout the pinnacle along with his proper forearm whereas attempting to defend a put-back try by Westbrook with 2:00 remaining within the third quarter. Westbrook sprung to his toes to confront Collins when James pulled him away from the Spurs gamers gathered within the paint and towards halfcourt.
“I really noticed the reduce proper when it occurred as soon as he bought up off the ground and wished to, uh, wished to do one thing to Zach,” mentioned James, who led the Lakers with 39 factors and 11 rebounds, going 7-for-12 from 3 and 10-for-10 from the foul line.
After an officers video evaluation, Collins was assessed a flagrant 2 foul, which comes with an ejection. Westbrook was given a technical foul for his response.
“I used to be confused on that one myself,” Westbrook mentioned of the tech. “I wasn’t certain why I bought one, however I am going to test with the league and speak to them about it and we’re determine why that was. Possibly it was as a result of I most likely hopped up or one thing. I am undecided.”
When requested if James was defending him from any sort of retaliation in direction of Collins, Westbrook mentioned, “most likely so.”
The Lakers’ three-game highway journey began towards the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday with Patrick Beverley shoving Deandre Ayton in retaliation to Ayton taunting Lakers swingman Austin Reaves, which resulted in a three-game suspension for Beverley.
“As soon as I am bleeding in every single place I used to be in a position to relax and deal with that and I moved ahead,” mentioned Westbrook, who had 11 factors, eight rebounds and 6 assists in 27 minutes.
He was in a position to return to the courtroom to complete the sport after having the laceration handled by the Lakers’ medical personnel who had been in a position to shut it up with out utilizing stitches.
James’ and Westbrook’s on-court partnership has been clunky since L.A. traded for the 2017 NBA MVP in the summertime of 2021. The Lakers failed miserably at reaching their championship aspiration final season and Westbrook was relegated to a bench function this season.
Nevertheless, issues regarded in sync on Saturday.
“Earlier than we grew to become teammates, we have all the time been like brothers, and funky, and issues of that nature,” James mentioned.
First-year Lakers coach Darvin Ham mentioned James coming to Westbrook’s facet was emblematic of the staff tradition he’s hoping to construct.
“That is what togetherness seems like,” Ham mentioned. “Being there on your teammate. [Westbrook] takes a shot to the pinnacle and you do not need to escalate the state of affairs. You need to attempt to calm him down. You bought a man with blood throughout his face who’s understandably upset and simply having Bron there, it reveals a brotherhood. ‘We’d like that sort of picture, that motion, that perception in each other. We’d like that to characterize us as a staff and as a franchise.”
L.A. gained for the fifth time within the final six video games, withstanding the absence of Anthony Davis, who was out with a left calf contusion, to maintain its momentum.
The play of the sport got here late within the second quarter with the aforementioned double alley-oop. James stole the ball close to heart courtroom and Westbrook streaked up the appropriate facet of the courtroom in transition. Tre Jones was the one San Antonio defender backpedaling and James lofted a go over Jones’ head to Westbrook, who leaped in direction of the basket to catch it. Slightly than end the play himself, Westbrook caught it and handed it again to James in midair.
“Russ being an elite passer on this staff, an elite passer on this recreation for fairly some time, I figured I would preserve trailing and see if he’ll throw it again up, and he did,” James mentioned, “and I used to be in a position to reward that.”
James completed the play with a one-handed dunk to present L.A. a 70-64 lead.
“Bron is effectively often called all the time trailing,” Westbrook mentioned. “So, simply me realizing that and having the ability to make that learn and put the go the place he would have the ability to end.”
The connection made an impression on the staff.
“That is one thing you simply do not see daily — two gifted offensive gamers like that being so unselfish with one another,” mentioned Lakers heart Thomas Bryant. “That is one thing that interprets to everybody on the staff, everybody sees that.”
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