Getty D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a call.
D’Angelo Russell tried to hide his emotions but could not contain them when a reporter asked him for more details about his difficult conversation with Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham.
“That’s all I got for you,” Rusell said after coming off the bench for the first time since the last playoffs. “I have nothing to add about the conversation. It is what it is. I have no comments or no headlines for you.”
Russell stayed professional amid the latest challenge in his career following his struggles and puzzling comment about playing defense as an “extra” job.
The demoted point guard scored 15 points off the bench on 5 of 9 shooting with three assists. More importantly, he had no negative impact on his short stint on the floor. The beleaguered point guard did not commit a single turnover and finished with zero plus-minus in 17 minutes.
“The result was a win,” Russell told reporters when initially asked about his demotion. “So for me, that’s all that matters.”
LeBron James, who will turn 39 next week, took over his starting spot and scored a season-high 40 points on a perfect 3-point shooting with seven assists and seven rebounds to propel the Lakers to a 129-120 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
D’Lo’s Impact off the Bench
Russell was the third reserve to check into the game. But he made the most out of his limited opportunity. His eight straight points to open the second quarter gave the Lakers a 44-42 lead to overturn a 39-36 deficit at the end of the opening quarter. He had 12 points in the pivotal second quarter where the Lakers pulled away for good, 71-59.
“So just finding a way to impact winning and bring energy whenever I get on the floor. Starting is a different monster. You’re playing against starting units, against the scouting report. You’re playing against a lot of things,” Russel explained.
His move to the bench eased off the pressure on his back.
“When you come in, you got to jump back on where the starters left off,” Russell said of his new role, “figuring out ways to know still gain some type of advantage coming in you know in a later time.”
LeBron James Likes Lakers’ Lineup Shakeup
James, who made history as the oldest NBA player to score 40 points with a perfect 3-point shooting night (5 of 5), was pleased with the lineup shakeup.
“We add a lot of length from the perimeter to our wings all the way down to our center,” James told Spectrum Sportsnet’s sideline reporter Mike Trudell of Russell’s removal from the starting lineup.
“Obviously in [Anthony Davis], we have the ability to guard multiple positions, switch a lot of actions but more importantly we were able to clean glass and I thought when they missed shots, especially in that second and third quarter, we cleaned glass. They gave us an opportunity to score on another end.”
The Lakers’ new-look starting five switched everything defensively, catching the Thunder off guard. They could not repeat what they did to the Lakers on a November 30 blowout win.
James’ greatness and the Lakers’ new-found defense overwhelmed the young Thunder this time.