Lakers' Russell sprains ankle, unsure about Friday vs. Thunder

D'Angelo Russell fell to injury after playing a key role in the Los Angeles Lakers' furious comeback against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday that came up just short.

The rookie point guard gave the Lakers the lead after battling back from a 27-point deficit, but twisted his right ankle as he went up for a fourth-quarter layup.

After the bucket, Russell remained on the ground for several seconds before returning to the bench. He re-entered the game briefly, but eventually asked coach Byron Scott to exit the game.

He was escorted to the locker room and didn't return to the court.

Following the game, the team confirmed X-rays on Russell's ankle came back negative, and the injury was deemed a moderate sprain, leaving his status for Friday against the Oklahoma City Thunder up in the air.

It was an unfortunate end to the 19-year-old's evening - his final play gave him a career-high 27 points.

The Lakers wound up falling to their Western Conference foes 118-115 as their record dropped to 8-29.