The Los Angeles Lakers are fighting to gain ground in the extremely competitive Western Conference as D’Angelo Russell stepped up on Friday night, leading the Lakers to a massive 123-122 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
D’Angelo Russell Leads Los Angeles Lakers Past The Milwaukee Bucks
Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell displayed clutch shotmaking for the Lakers with back-to-back 3s to cut to within two points with just a minute left. With the big shot, Russell surpassed his season-high of 39 points and tied his career-high with nine made shots from beyond the arc. After a colossal stop in which Hachimura disrupted a Damian Lillard’s runner, the Lakers got the ball coming out of a timeout down by a point with under 25 seconds left.
DLO PUTS THE LAKERS AHEAD 123-122 WITH 5 SECONDS LEFT IN THE 4Q!
MIL-LAL Live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/ra7xwZCueA
— NBA (@NBA) March 9, 2024
After the timeout, D’Angelo Russell once again proved he had ice in his veins as he hit a go-ahead floater with 5.9 seconds to play, scoring 21 of his season-high 44 points in the fourth. D’Angelo Russell’s masterclass included tying his career high with nine 3-pointers to finish with his most points as a Laker in either stint, along with nine assists and six rebounds, shooting a very efficient 17 of 25 from the field.
LeBron-less Lakers Still Find A Way To Win
Multiple players stepped up in LeBron James absence. Austin Reaves finished with seven assists and five rebounds along with 18 points. Anthony Davis contributed a double-double with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks on the defensive end. Taurean Prince, who has been trying to find some consistency since being moved to the bench, had a helpful scoring run late in the third quarter with eight straight points for the Lakers to maintain the lead heading into the fourth quarter. Spencer Dinwiddie only had five points in his first start for the Lakers but secured the victory with a clutch block on Damian Lillard as the ball went out of bounds while the clock hit double zeros.
Blocked by Dinwiddie! 🚫
LAKERS HOLD OFF THE BUCKS IN LA ‼️ pic.twitter.com/XwOw28yLuv
— NBA (@NBA) March 9, 2024
Damian Lillard did his best to keep the Bucks in the game down the final stretch, scoring eight of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. Pat Connaughton scored a season-high 17 points and hit a clutch three late in the fourth quarter. Giannis Antetokounmpo had his 43rd career triple-double and his eighth of the season with 34 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. Even with Dame and Antetokounmpo’s efforts, Milwaukee couldn’t hang on losing their second consecutive game after the 125-90 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
Anthony Davis speaks on D'Angelo Russell's 44-point performance and provides an update on his left shoulder. pic.twitter.com/kwMGe9TDeW
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 9, 2024
LeBron James sat out tonight due to an ankle injury after scoring 31 points along with 13 assists before leaving the court early in the fourth quarter in a loss against Sacramento the previous game. Lakers coach Darvin Ham said the Lakers don’t consider the injury to be season-threatening, with James having missed two games prior to the All-Star break due to the bothersome ankle injury. The Lakers’ injury issues didn’t end with James. After the game, Ham could not provide an update on Anthony Davis’ left shoulder injury, indicating that the medical staff was still evaluating AD with further updates expected hopefully tomorrow. The Lakers have won 11 of 15 as Los Angeles tries to improve in the standings. They face several injury challenges heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For More NBA News and Rumors
For more great content follow me on Facebook Bennett Ervin and on X/Twitter @BennettErvin8 To view more great stories featuring the NBA or College Hoops click this link.