LBJ aids Russ as in sync pair keep Lakers rolling

SAN ANTONIO -- Russell Westbrook had humor covering his look aft taking a flagrant foul to his forehead erstwhile LeBron James intervened to propulsion the Los Angeles Lakers constituent defender distant from the fray and screen the chopped with a towel successful the 3rd 4th Saturday.

It wasn't the flashiest series the brace were progressive successful unneurotic successful L.A.'s 143-138 triumph implicit the Spurs -- that favoritism belongs to their treble alley-oop successful the archetypal fractional -- but it was the astir significant.

"His wellness is much important than the crippled of basketball," James said aft the game. "So conscionable tried to halt that and fto the grooming unit bash their occupation aft we got him implicit to the bench."

Spurs large antheral Zach Collins caught Westbrook crossed the caput with his close forearm portion trying to support a put-back effort by Westbrook with 2:00 remaining successful the 3rd quarter. Westbrook sprung to his feet to face Collins erstwhile James pulled him distant from the Spurs players gathered successful the overgarment and toward halfcourt.

"I really saw the chopped close erstwhile it happened erstwhile helium got up disconnected the level and wanted to, uh, wanted to bash thing to Zach," said James, who led the Lakers with 39 points and 11 rebounds, going 7-for-12 from 3 and 10-for-10 from the foul line.

After an officials video review, Collins was assessed a flagrant 2 foul, which comes with an ejection. Westbrook was fixed a method foul for his reaction.

"I was confused connected that 1 myself," Westbrook said of the tech. "I wasn't definite wherefore I got one, but I'll cheque with the league and speech to them astir it and we're fig retired wherefore that was. Maybe it was due to the fact that I astir apt hopped up oregon something. I'm not sure."

When asked if James was protecting him from immoderate benignant of retaliation towards Collins, Westbrook said, "probably so."

The Lakers' three-game roadworthy travel started against the Phoenix Suns connected Tuesday with Patrick Beverley shoving Deandre Ayton successful retaliation to Ayton taunting Lakers swingman Austin Reaves, which resulted successful a three-game suspension for Beverley.

"Once I'm bleeding each implicit the spot I was capable to calm down and instrumentality attraction of that and I moved forward," said Westbrook, who had 11 points, 8 rebounds and six assists successful 27 minutes.

He was capable to instrumentality to the tribunal to decorativeness the crippled aft having the laceration treated by the Lakers' aesculapian unit who were capable to adjacent it up without utilizing stitches.

James' and Westbrook's on-court concern has been clunky since L.A. traded for the 2017 NBA MVP successful the summertime of 2021. The Lakers failed miserably astatine reaching their title aspiration past play and Westbrook was relegated to a seat relation this season.

However, things looked successful sync connected Saturday.

"Before we became teammates, we've ever been similar brothers, and cool, and things of that nature," James said.

First-year Lakers manager Darvin Ham said James coming to Westbrook's broadside was emblematic of the squad civilization helium is hoping to build.

"That's what togetherness looks like," Ham said. "Being determination for your teammate. [Westbrook] takes a changeable to the caput and you don't privation to escalate the situation. You privation to effort to calm him down. You got a feline with humor each implicit his look who is understandably upset and conscionable having Bron there, it shows a brotherhood. 'We request that benignant of image, that action, that content successful 1 another. We request that to correspond america arsenic a squad and arsenic a franchise."

L.A. won for the 5th clip successful the past six games, withstanding the lack of Anthony Davis, who was retired with a near calf contusion, to support its momentum.

The play of the crippled came precocious successful the 2nd 4th with the aforementioned treble alley-oop. James stole the shot adjacent halfway tribunal and Westbrook streaked up the close broadside of the tribunal successful transition. Tre Jones was the lone San Antonio defender backpedaling and James lofted a walk implicit Jones' caput to Westbrook, who leaped towards the handbasket to drawback it. Rather than decorativeness the play himself, Westbrook caught it and passed it backmost to James successful midair.

"Russ being an elite passer connected this team, an elite passer successful this crippled for rather a while, I figured I'd support trailing and spot if he'll propulsion it backmost up, and helium did," James said, "and I was capable to reward that."

James finished the play with a one-handed dunk to springiness L.A. a 70-64 lead.

"Bron is good known arsenic ever trailing," Westbrook said. "So, conscionable maine knowing that and being capable to marque that work and enactment the walk wherever helium would beryllium capable to finish."

The transportation made an content connected the team.

"That's thing you conscionable don't spot each time -- 2 talented violative players similar that being truthful unselfish with each other," said Lakers halfway Thomas Bryant. "That's thing that translates to everyone connected the team, everyone sees that."