The Los Angeles Lakers faced off against their crosstown rival, the LA Clippers, tonight in the latest chapter of their season series. However, one moment from the game took all the attention when Clippers forward John Collins was forced to exit the game due to a gruesome injury. Here’s what happened.

Why Did John Collins Leave the Game? What Injury Did He Suffer?

With about 18 seconds left in the half, Clippers forward Bennedict Mathurin threw a lob pass to Collins, but the pass was broken up by LA defender Jaxson Hayes. However, things quickly took a bad turn. After deflecting the pass, Hayes continued standing in the same position, not giving Collins enough landing space.

Collins immediately fell to the floor, hitting his head hard, and bleeding out of the side. He was soon escorted by teammate Brook Lopez and assistant coach Jasen Powell, being taken to the locker room despite insistence that he shoot the resulting free throws.

You can view the bloody aftermath here (keep in mind that this is graphic content).

Collins will undergo concussion protocol and has been ruled out for the rest of the game.

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How Did John Collins Perform Before Leaving?

Collins was performing well, as usual, for the Clippers. In 16 minutes before exiting the forward logged 12 points on solid efficiency, adding an offensive rebound an a steal, helping the Clippers’ early scoring while Kawhi Leonard got going on offense.

Collins has been one of the main offensive contributors on the Clippers this season, averaging 13.8 points on extremely efficient splits: 56.4% from the field and 42.6% from three. He has also added on 5.2 rebounds, as well as 0.8 steals and blocks.

How Did the LA Clippers Adjust Without Collins?

In Collins’ absence, many of the forward minutes have been split between Jordan Miller and Nicolas Batum, and the two have produced well. Midway through the fourth, the two have combined for eight points, five assists, and four rebounds with solid defense.

Much of the scoring load has been carried by Leonard as well as bench forward Bennedict Mathurin, who have led the team in scoring with a combined 52 points so far. Despite missing Collins, the team has performed extremely well, currently holding a two-point lead over the Lakers, who have struggled in the fourth.

The star backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have shown out, combining for 55 points, while LeBron James has scored in spurts while facilitating for his teammates, logging nine assists so far.

As for Collins, he has been a bit of an ironman for the Clippers this season in an otherwise injury-filled season, missing only three games this season. If he misses any time, the team will be significantly thinner at forward, and will likely have to roll out smaller lineups with Kobe Sanders.

His next chance to take the floor will be on Sunday, against the Orlando Magic. Keep an eye out for an update on his status, considering his importance to the team’s play this season.