The Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the L.A. Clippers on a Friday night preseason finale matchup. The Lakers' lineup was virtually injury-free except for rookie sensation Lonzo Ball who is still out due to an ankle injury suffered while blocking a shot last week against the Denver Nuggets.

The team is wise to sit the point guard out if only not to jeopardize their season before it begins. That plan, unfortunately, didn't hold up for the rest of the team as another starter suffered an injury Friday night.

Julius Randle, who had worked hard to get his body into tip-top shape, came into the game firing on all cylinders and showing himself to be a handful for the Clippers as he completed his 13 minutes of the game on fire.

Randle scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and added 5-of-7 free throws to boot before attempting a move that led to him grabbing his lower back before being taken out. The 6'9″ forward wanted to remain in the game but did not return to the floor once taken out.

Thomas Bryant checked into the game for Julius Randle and a diagnosis of back spasms was released with no further details.

The seriousness of the injury won't be known until more details are released Saturday morning. Back spasms are best treated with rest and can, at its worst, linger throughout the season. The Lakers will be wise to also handle their young power forward's situation carefully and ease him back into the lineup when he's ready. This is a similar issue suffered by starting center Brook Lopez who was held out for the exact same issue.