Fred VanVleet BLEEDING from eye after hard hit from Shaun Livingston - GRAPHIC IMAGES
FRED VANVLEET was forced out of the action in Game 4 of the NBA Finals after catching an inadvertent elbow from Shaun Livingston in the face.
VanVleet has been a huge bonus for the Raptors in these playoffs and particularly the NBA Finals.
His tenacious attitude on defence, coupled with his knockdown shooting from beyond the arc has helped the Raptors hold a 2-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors.
And Toronto were causing another shock in Game 4 at the Oracle Arena as they took a commanding lead in the fourth quarter.
But there was serious concern from the Toronto bench after VanVleet hit the deck hard.
He went up to help contest a lay-up from Livingston, only to get hit in the face with an inadvertent elbow.
The 25-year-old laid flat on the floor as team medics rushed to his aid.
But it didn't look good for the point guard with gruesome images showing blood flowing from a cut close to his right eye.
He was helped up off the court before walking without aid to the locker room to receive further treatment.
Meanwhile, back on the court, cameras picked up what seemed to be a tooth on the floor where VanVleet was laying.
ESPN's Doris Burke reported later in the quarter that VanVleet had to have seven stitches to fix the deep cut.
But the injury isn't seen as serious enough to keep him out of action for the remainder of the game.