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Magic Johnson issued a tweet about D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder after the Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets on May 16 at Ball Arena.
Johnson, one of the greatest players in NBA history and the best point guard in Lakers franchise history, said Russell and Schroder have to play better in Game 2.
Russell and Schroder combined for only 14 points in Game 1 while shooting 6-of-14 from the field and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. Russell had a plus-minus of -25 and Schroder had a plus-minus of -6. The Lakers lost by a final score of 132-126. They trail in these playoffs for the first time.
Russell had eight points in 26 minutes and Schroder had six points in 32 minutes in Game 1. Both guards have to score the ball better for the Lakers to win Game 2, which is on May 18.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 40 points and 10 rebounds, while LeBron James finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in Game 1. After trailing by more than 20 points, Los Angeles cut Denver’s lead to three points in the fourth quarter. James had a chance to tie the game with under a minute left in regulation, but he missed a 3-pointer at the top of the key.
Maybe the Lakers Need Kyrie Irving
Russell has been inconsistent in the playoffs, so maybe the Lakers do need All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving next season. According to the latest odds from Sportsbetting.ag, the purple and gold have the best odds (+200) to acquire Irving, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
In a May 4 article titled “Lakers’ Most Realistic Trade Targets in 2023 Offseason,” Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report called Irving a trade target the Lakers can “realistically afford.” Buckley believes the LakeShow and Dallas Mavericks can execute a sign-and-trade deal involving Russell, who also becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
“While the Lakers have found (and developed) more shooting and shot-creation alongside James and Davis, they haven’t spawned a star who’s anywhere near Irving’s caliber,” Buckley wrote. “His average outing this season featured 27.1 points, 5.5 assists and 3.1 threes (on 37.9 percent shooting), and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone characterizing the campaign as one of Irving’s best. He is one of the greatest offensive players in this league. Slotting him alongside James and Davis—by way of a sign-and-trade, perhaps featuring D’Angelo Russell—would give L.A. as much star power as any team in this league.”
D’Angelo Russell Put Up Shots After Game 1
Russell put up shots after the Game 1 loss in Denver. He was filmed by Allen Sliwa of ESPN Los Angeles.
Russell came into Game 1 of the Nuggets series averaging 15.7 points and 5.0 assists in this postseason while shooting 44.5% overall and 34.7% from 3-point land. The Lakers need D’Lo to score and shoot the ball better in Game 2. If that doesn’t happen, the Nuggets could very easily go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
The good news for the Lakers is that they outscored the Nuggets 38-34 in the third quarter and 34-26 in the fourth quarter in Game 1.
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