After a grueling season, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have reached the playoffs to face the Denver Nuggets in the first round. The thing is, D’Angelo Russell must play better if they want to advance to the next round.
In the first game of their series, a Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets team drew first blood by getting the 114-103 win over Los Angeles. The two-time MVP posted 32 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in almost 40 minutes on the court. Jamal Murray added 22 points and assists, while Michael Porter Jr. tallied 19 points amidst a pair of issues hounding his brothers.
On the other hand, Los Angeles was led by Anthony Davis when the All-Star big man notched 32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. James contributed 27 points, six rebounds, and eight assists, while Austin Reaves dropped 13 points and four rebounds.
D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers’ starting point guard only shot 30 percent from the field and 11 percent from beyond the arc. In the end, he only made 13 points in the 41 minutes he played on the court. As noted by Magic Johnson, Russell’s performance was one of the reasons why Los Angeles lost to the Nuggets.
One D’Angelo Russell Game 1 Stat Against Denver Nuggets Will Worry Los Angeles Lakers Fans
After a game, a stat about Russell’s performance from deep came out, and it can be a worrying one for Lakers fans. In a post shared by NBA University on X:
“D’Angelo Russell is now 3/24 (12.5%) from 3 in his last 5 playoff games against the Nuggets. Lakers 0-5 in those games.
41.5% on 7.2 3PA/g this season. Has to shoot like he does in the regular season for LAL to have a chance,” NBA University tweeted.
Over the course of 76 games, 69 of which Russell started, he averaged 41 percent from deep on 7.2 three-point attempts per game. All in all, the point guard posted 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per contest during the regular season.
If the Lakers want to make it out of their series against Denver alive, Russell will have to step up his game and shoot better from deep. Otherwise, head coach Darwin Ham will have to bench him and play other guards in his place instead.
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