Ugly hit leaves Lakers star bleeding

LeBron James picked the cleanable clip for his champion violative output of the season.

James scored a season-high 39 points and grabbed 11 rebounds arsenic the Los Angeles Lakers escaped with a 143-138 triumph implicit the San Antonio Spurs connected Sunday (AEDT).

"We gave up a ton successful transition, we turned the shot over, couldn't get a antiaircraft rebound astatine times," Lakers manager Darvin Ham said.

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LeBron James drives to the basket. (NBAE via Getty Images)

"But again, erstwhile you're capable to people the ball, it covers up for a batch of mistakes."

San Antonio has mislaid 8 straight, tied for the fourth-longest skid successful franchise history.

James matched a career-high with 7 three-pointers. He finished 11 for 21 from the field, including a booming one-handed dunk connected a lob from Russell Westbrook with a infinitesimal remaining successful the archetypal half.

While James was playing successful his 2nd crippled pursuing a five-game absence, Los Angeles centre Anthony Davis sat retired with a bruised near calf helium sustained successful the Lakers' triumph implicit San Antonio.

"We inactive honed successful and bash what we bash best," erstwhile Spurs defender Lonnie Walker IV said.

"And LeBron took america home, helium took america to victory."

The Lakers (7-12) person defeated the Spurs 3 times successful a seven-game span.

Dennis Schroder had 21 points and six assists for Los Angeles. Walker had 19 points, including 13 successful the 4th fourth to assistance seal the Lakers' 5th triumph successful six games.

Los Angeles opened the play losing its archetypal 5 games.

"It's conscionable a consciousness of you're not truly definite of each other, we don't cognize each other," James said of the commencement of the season.

"But implicit the past mates of weeks, we proceed to larn from 1 another, we proceed to play immoderate bully ball, [and] stock the ball."

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 the loss, San Antonio scored the game's archetypal points connected a abbreviated jumper by Jakob Poeltl.

"They person got large character," San Antonio manager Gregg Popovich said.

"I thought they were fantastic. I americium arrogant of them. They conscionable support playing. It doesn't substance what the people is, oregon who is determination oregon who is not there, they are unbelievably coachable and they are trying precise hard to bash what we privation them to do. I was conscionable thrilled and arrogant of them tonight."

After shooting 6 for 33 connected three-pointers, the Spurs had a season-high 18 three-pointers. San Antonio was 8 for 15 connected threes successful the archetypal fractional and 18 for 37 overall.

LeBron James checks connected Russell Westbrook aft helium received a deed connected a thrust to the handbasket by Zach Collins. (Getty)

The momentum stalled erstwhile the Spurs mislaid 2 starters to close quadriceps injuries successful the 2nd quarter.

Poeltl had 12 points and 9 rebounds successful 10 minutes earlier exiting the crippled with 7:59 near successful the archetypal half. Poeltl felt soreness aft landing awkwardly connected a dunk.

San Antonio past mislaid rookie guardant Jeremy Sochan with 4:54 remaining successful the archetypal half. Sochan took a genu to his close thigh erstwhile his layup effort was blocked by Thomas Bryant.

The Spurs besides mislaid reserve centre, Zach Collins, to an ejection for a flagrant foul connected Westbrook with 2 minutes near successful the 3rd quarter.

The incidental near Westbrook bleeding from the caput but the but did not necessitate stiches.