Serious injuries and altercations rarely surface in NBA Summer League play. But Tuesday night’s Lakers-Clippers matchup in Las Vegas nearly spiraled out of control even as LA’s veterans watched from the sideline. What began as a highly anticipated physical showcase quickly turned volatile.

The shift came with four minutes left in the second quarter. Lakers second-year forward Adou Thiero attacked the basket and elevated toward the rim. Clippers big man Norchad Omier rose to contest, then pulled back mid-air, a last-second change that triggered a frightening collision.

When they crashed, Thiero was sent off balance, resulting in a terrifying spill. While Omier was on his feet, Thiero rolled on the floor hard, possibly hitting his back or head, or both. He got up on his feet immediately, but there’s no telling what that fall could’ve done. Even the announcers could only make shocked sounds for a few seconds till he stood up.

“Thiero had big dreams there and that was nearly a scary fall, Omier got underneath,” one of the announcers noted immediately.

The play instantly triggered a bench-clearing kerfuffle. Lakers guard Chris Mañon rushed to confront Omier. It turned into a shoving match when Omier retaliated similarly. A swarm of players from both sides joined the fray. Even Arthur Kaluma, a new fan-favorite of LakeShow, also got argumentative.

The announcers booth captured the rising anxiety in the arena:

“Yeah that’s tough too. That’s tough. That’s a whole part of… we don’t want to see anything jump off here in the summer league… I think the Laker players felt that Omier got up underneath Thiero there. I think Omier was trying to just clear the space.”

Interestingly, the stars of the Los Angeles Lakers were watching all this competitive intensity from the team’s youngsters. Austin Reaves, who just wrapped the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe and signed an extension, was in the house along with his new teammates, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton.

Also at the game as a spectator was JJ Redick, who fans have been begging to give Kaluma and Thiero a shot after their Summer League displays.

Their reactions to the fracas were not visible, but the players and staff broke up the scuffle within seconds. Thiero was seemingly fine, making his case to the referees while the almost-brawl happened behind him.

Upon an official review by the officiating crew, the tempers were met with heavy discipline. Omier was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul alongside a technical foul.

Additionally, technical fouls were handed out to Mañon and Kaluma to restore order.

A tiny good came out of this. It’s made fans step up their campaign to Lakers head coach Redick to give Thiero a regular role in the rotation this upcoming season. Fans are once again appealing to the Lakers to give Kaluma a contract, too.

The presence of such high-profile onlookers only amplified the tension in the arena during the physical altercations.

Thiero, fortunately, avoided a serious injury, allowing the Lakers’ coaching staff and the star-studded crowd to breathe a sigh of relief as the game went on till the Lakers beat their crosstown rivals 99-85.