Richard Jefferson and David Fizdale discuss how the Lakers will adjust their game plan while Anthony Davis is out with a back injury. (1:38)

LOS ANGELES -- Anthony Davis left the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the New York Knicks in the third quarter Tuesday night after he bruised his lower back in a painful fall to the court.

Davis was injured when he fell awkwardly while trying to block the shot of New York's Julius Randle. Davis pounded the court in obvious pain after his hard landing, and then clutched his backside while he stayed down on the floor, surrounded by Lakers medical personnel for several minutes in front of a hushed crowd at Staples Center.

Davis eventually rose with help from his teammates, and he walked to the Lakers' dressing room slowly, but under his own power. After the initial shock of the fall wore off, Davis was able to walk more in the player tunnel but was ultimately carted out of the arena at the end of the night to undergo further testing.

Davis' agent, Rich Paul, emerged from the Lakers' locker room after the injury and said X-rays on Davis' back were negative, but the superstar is feeling sore. The Lakers described the injury as a bruised sacrum -- the lower part of the spine near the tailbone.

"We hope that he'll be fine, which we believe he'll be fine," LeBron James said. "Tough night for us."

Davis was scheduled to undergo a MRI on Tuesday night, and he is expected to miss the upcoming trip in Dallas and Oklahoma City to rehab, a league source told ESPN.

The Lakers led 81-62 with 2:45 left in the third quarter when Davis took his tumble. They went on to win 117-87, extending their streak to six games and improving their overall record to 30-7.

"I thought they locked back in," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of how his team responded to one of its stars going down. "Got focused and finished the job."

When players returned to the locker room after the final buzzer, Davis was in there waiting for them.

"He was great," James said of the encounter. "His mood was great. As great as it can be with the fall that he took ... I asked him if I could do anything for him, he said you got to win for me. That's what our team is all about."

Davis' teammates certain felt the pain their big man was going through.

"It's a scary fall," Kyle Kuzma said. "I fell on my tailbone once like that. It wasn't broke or anything, it had a bruise. It really, really hurt."

Added Dwight Howard: "It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It's very painful. I wouldn't wish falling. ... I wouldn't wish that on nobody. The tailbone? It hurts pretty bad."

The Lakers have withstood various injuries to key personnel this season as they've raced out to the top of the Western Conference, but Davis has missed only two games so far and James has missed only one. They are 1-1 without Davis and 0-1 without James.

"It's not one person," said Alex Caruso when asked about the challenge of making up for Davis' absence. "It's like that old 'Remember the Titans' [scene], like, 'You cannot replace a Gerry Bertier.' So, it's like you can't replace AD with one person. You got to do it by committee, so it's got to be spot minutes here and there, depending on who has got to be in there and we just got to try and replicate how hard he plays. We obviously can't be 6-10 and shoot 3s and take people off the dribble and dunk. We just have to be able to play as hard as we can in our roles and do what we can to make up for that."

Kuzma, the planned third member of the Lakers' Big Three this season who has had an up-and-down experience in keeping pace with James and Davis, recognizes the void should Davis be sidelined.

"Coach always talks about 'next man up,'" Kuzma said. "I just feel like if I have an opportunity, I'll be fine. ... I mean, I'm not Anthony Davis, so I'm just going to be myself. And just do me."

Davis, who is expected to decline his player option for next season to become an unrestricted free agent, is widely considered a lock to return to the Lakers on a new deal. The six-time All-Star is averaging 27.7 points and 9.5 rebounds in his first season after L.A. traded most of its young core to New Orleans for him.

"He's one of our pillars," Vogel said. "He's our present, he's our future and he's one of the best players in the world. So obviously he means a lot."

James said Davis' situation is a challenge that comes with life as an aspirational contender in the league.

"Who said it would be easy? In the NBA, guys get injured. Guys get sick," James said. "Obviously we know what AD's meant for this team. Obviously there's no replacing him. You can't say you replace what he does, he does everything. But everybody else has got to chip in and be better. We'll see what happens with his injury and take it from there."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.