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Lakers' Russell leaves preseason game with glute bruise

Nick Laham / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Derailed in part by injuries in three consecutive seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers got an early scare Tuesday.

Point guard D'Angelo Russell left a preseason game against the Utah Jazz in Hawaii after suffering a bruised glute.

The second overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft hit the floor hard after trying to defend a Rudy Gobert drive to the basket. Credit the rookie for the defensive effort, but he's several inches and several dozen pounds shy of The Stifle Tower, and he now has a bruised buttocks to show for it.

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Russell stayed down for a few minutes and was helped off the court and to the Lakers' locker room. Originally listed as questionable to return, he was held out for the rest of the game as a precaution, though he reportedly could have returned to a regular-season contest.

The Lakers lost Julius Randle to a broken leg in game one of the regular season last year, so the sight of Russell being helped off the court surely brought back some bad memories. They've also lost superstar Kobe Bryant to three serious injuries in the last two-plus years, so a bruised bottom, essentially, was the best possible scenario for Russell and the club.

"I knew it wasn't serious when I fell," Russell said. "I was talking to (trainer Gary Vitti) while I was on the ground. I just couldn't really move. After it kind of loosened up a little bit, I was able to move."

The Lakers are in action again Thursday, and while Russell will be held out of practice Wednesday, he hasn't yet been ruled out for that exhibition.

Russell was held off of the box score in his 4:18 of action and struggled in the preseason opener, scoring five points on 2-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes.

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