Anthony Davis has been a force on defense for the Los Angeles Lakers, oftentimes saving Russell Westbrook, who can get a bit too careless.

That holds true off the court.

Friday is Westbrook's 33rd birthday. His Lakers teammates, coaches, and staff presented him with a cake at practice. As we can see in Kendrick Nunn's Instagram story, Westbrook was about to blow out the candles when Davis protected the cake from Westbrook's germs — as if an opposing player was attacking the rim with Westbrookian abandon.

“Woah, woah! COVID! It's COVID bro!” Davis could be heard saying. Russ attempted to wave the candles out with his hand.

Obviously, this was a playful moment of jest, and Westbrook — like the rest of the Lakers — is vaccinated, as they indicated on Media Day. However, you can never be too safe during a pandemic. Considering the outbreaks happening around the NBA over the past couple of weeks, the idea of the Lakers splitting a cake sprinkled with speckles of Westbrook's saliva is probably not the best idea.

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Nikola Vucevic, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Matiss Thybulle, Lauri Makkanen, Kevin Love, Khris Middleton, and multiple San Antonio Spurs are amongst the players to recently enter health and safety protocols. On Friday, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the NBA and players association are recommending that all players, coaches, and other Tier 1 personnel receive a booster shot in the wake of rising positive tests around the league.

The Lakers dealt with multiple COVID-related issues in 2020-21. Marc Gasol fell deeply ill, Dennis Schroder tested positive right before the playoffs, and LeBron James' vaccine ambivalence and possible breach of protocols generated headlines.

Westbrook will celebrate his birthday with a matchup against his favorite foe, Patrick Beverley, and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples Center. Los Angeles (7-5) will try to extend their winning streak to three. Westbrook has posted a triple-double in each of his past two games, and arguably put forth his finest performance with the Lakers in Wednesday's win over the Miami Heat.