One night after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 105-94, the Los Angeles Lakers got engaged in a shootout with their opponents from Texas.
Both teams faced off again on Saturday, and there was a skirmish late in the third quarter when Zach Collins committed a flagrant foul on Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook had an open cut on his forehead as a result, and he was livid.
Video of Russell Westbrook going after Zach Collins
Russ was PISSED after he catches an elbow to the forehead and starts leaking 🤬 pic.twitter.com/WLYE82uXkm
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 27, 2022
Collins was ejected from the contest as a result, while Westbrook was assessed a technical foul for his histrionics.
The Lakers guard left for the locker room after shooting free throws on the flagrant foul in order to get the bleeding fully stopped. He had been having a rough game to that point, as he was shooting poorly and had committed five turnovers.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw Los Angeles fall behind by double digits, only to catch up and take a 70-68 lead at halftime.
With Anthony Davis sitting out because of a calf contusion, San Antonio attacked the paint with a vengeance while outrebounding the Lakers.
Luckily, guard Dennis Schroder chose this game to break out, as he got hot from 3-point range to help L.A.’s cause. In the fourth quarter, the team started to pull ahead as it tightened its defense a bit.
The Lakers are looking to build and maintain momentum in order to get to .500 for the first time this season. They have won four of their last five games, and after LeBron James missed five contests with a strained left adductor, they’re starting to get healthy.
The Purple and Gold will return home to take on the Indiana Pacers on Monday and the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday before starting a challenging six-game Eastern road trip. That trip will start with a game versus Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
