The Los Angeles Lakers are within the midst of a playoff push. On Friday, the Lakers confronted the daunting process of slowing down Giannis Antetokounmpo, probably the greatest gamers within the NBA.
The Lakers used the second general choose of the 2015 NBA Draft on D’Angelo Russell. The purpose guard’s time in Los Angeles appeared to finish when he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the course of the 2017 offseason. However, after enjoying for a few different NBA groups, Russell was traded again to the Lakers in 2023.
Russell has performed effectively over the course of the 2023-24 season, however on Friday night time he made probably the most of his second stint with the Purple and Gold.
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Russell stepped up when it mattered most, scoring 21 of his season-high 44 factors within the fourth quarter and hit a go-ahead jumper with 5.9 seconds to play to carry the Lakers to a 123-122 victory over the Bucks.
Russell’s clutch efficiency was significantly essential as four-time NBA champion LeBron James sat out of the sport to relaxation his sore left ankle. James hobbled off the court docket with 4 minutes left within the Lakers’ loss to Sacramento on Wednesday night time with the most recent flare-up of an ankle harm that has bothered the main scorer in NBA historical past all through his twenty first season.
After the sport, Russell took a second to mirror on among the up-and-downs he has confronted throughout his skilled basketball profession.
The 28-year-old advised that “public humiliation” merely makes him higher.
“With my craft and my expertise on the ground, I’ve at all times felt like I used to be able to doing issues. Getting scorching makes it a little bit extra thrilling all through a recreation,” Russell stated by way of the Los Angeles Instances. “Off the ground, clearly, you recognize what I’ve been by. Public humiliation has carried out nothing however molded me into the killer that y’all see immediately. And, um, I by no means lack confidence. I by no means concern confrontation. I need all of the smoke.”
Russell is averaging 18.1 factors per recreation, together with 6.2 assists per contest this season.
“D-Lo simply stepped up and received us the sport, and clearly with Spence with the protection on that final possession,” Russell’s teammate Austin Reaves stated. “Simply seeing D-Lo take over the sport, I continuously saved telling him in timeouts, ‘Take us dwelling.’”
Russell’s title was linked to a number of commerce rumors forward of final month’s NBA commerce deadline. The Lakers in the end determined to retain the purpose guard, and it seems that determination is paying off.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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