The Los Angeles Lakers have D’Angelo Russell to thank for their 116-104 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
Of course, the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis still put up some big numbers to help lead LA to a key win over the second seed in the West. However, it’s hard to deny that the game ball has to go to Russell for his huge performance in LA’s victory.
Los Angeles Lakers Star D’Angelo Russell Reacts to Win Vs. Thunder
Russell finished Monday’s contest with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He also knocked down five triples on the evening, to go along with six rebounds, three assists, four steals, and a block in 34 minutes of play.
The former All-Star sounded off on his majestic outing on Twitter shortly after the win:
No better feeling than this. Thank you. https://t.co/I03zGTmCre
— D'Angelo Russell (@Dloading) March 5, 2024
Russell came up big down the stretch for the Lakers, which included three straight triples early in the fourth quarter to pretty much shut the door on any comeback attempt by OKC. After the game, DLo spoke out about just staying locked in regardless of all the outside noise in anticipation of moments such as this:
“Just consistency. The more my game days can look the same as the last one, I think that allows me to get going sooner,” Russell said, via Ron Gutterman of Lakers Nation. “Any hiccups in the rotations, lineups, all that stuff becomes a distraction. For me, I try to just let distractions be distractions and not let my mind get to them. I always talked about when I first got around [Austin Reaves], I tried to give him that. Tried to let him know that a lot of stuff can be a distraction from the main goal which is to put the ball in the hoop.
“I’ve seen him over the time just kind of change his approach a little bit and stay locked in when things can get like that. So I just recognize it and try to attack it.”
Feb 5, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) drives in during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Russell’s most awe-inspiring shot of the evening was his third straight triple in what was a blistering run early in the final period. Simply put, he was on an absolute heater at that point.
D’angelo Russell: Ice Bender 🧊 💉
We’ve never seen a Shooter like this don a Lakers jersey. pic.twitter.com/13Q2XfjGTJ
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) March 5, 2024
“Yeah. I was gonna shoot it before I passed it but I heard him and I didn’t know what he was saying, I thought he was about to attack Chet and whatnot. But then when I heard him say ‘Shoot, go ahead,’ I didn’t even know I made the shot. I kind of didn’t see the rim and just threw it up there. Lucky shot,” Russell joked.
Anthony Davis Heaps Praise on Russell
Anthony Davis (24 points, 12 rebounds) had nothing but high praise for Russell after seeing his teammate go off like he did against the Thunder. According to AD, this is exactly the type of performance the Lakers expect from Russell:
“That’s what he does, he’s shown that he can get hot at any point in the game,” Davis said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “When he made the first two, we kind of knew the third one was going up.”
Davis, Russell, and the rest of the Lakers return to action on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings.
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