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D’Angelo Russell returned from injury to help the Los Angeles Lakers overcome the Toronto Raptors on March 10.
Throughout the game, Russell displayed all the qualities of a star guard and showed why the Lakers were excited to bring him back to Lakerland at the trade deadline, ending the contest with 28 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds while shooting 58.8% from the field and 62.5% from deep.
During his post-game press conference, the Raptors sophomore forward Scottie Barnes discussed the impact Russell had on the game, specifically in the fourth quarter.
“D’Angelo Russell at the fourth quarter, he made a lot of tough shots,” Barnes said,” Was scoring it. Making some needy trey balls for them. He did a good job facilitating their offense and being able to score the ball at the same time.”
The Lakers have now won five of their last seven games and legitimately look like a team on the rise, with them now sitting ninth in the Western Conference, one game behind the six-seeded Dallas Mavericks.
Austin Reaves Heaps Praise on D’Angelo Russell
Barnes wasn’t the only person who was impressed with Russell’s showing on his return to the Lakers rotation, as Los Angeles’ fan-favorite guard Austin Reaves also took some time during his media availability to praise the impact he made upon his return to the court.
“He’s a really good basketball player that plays the game the right way,” Reaves said, “You don’t really see him too many times, in the midst of a game, making a wild play. He’s very under control, plays at his own pace, and like I said, he’s just super talented. The shots he was hitting in the fourth is ridiculous. You got only a handful of guys that take those shots in those situations. So, shout out to him. It’s good to have him back. We’re looking to keep it rolling.”
Russell took over during the fourth quarter against the Raptors, going 5-for-5 from the floor during the final 12 minutes, which included a 100% conversion rate from beyond the arc, allowing him to score an impressive sixteen points down the stretch.
D’Angelo Russell Credits ‘Selfless’ Anthony Davis
Throughout the Lakers’ March 10 contest, Anthony Davis had an unusually quiet outing against the Toronto Raptors, yet still found a way to impact the game by operating as a connector for his teammates.
Following the purple and gold’s latest win, Russell heaped praise on Davis’ selflessness and willingness to allow his teammates to thrive around him.
“He’s selfless, to be that good…I just wanna give him his flowers. I’ve been around a lot of players, players of his caliber as well. For him to be selfless and allow guys like Wenyen Gabriel and Vanderbilt to come in and stay in the game and control the momentum that we had going on was huge, and it’s contagious for the rest of our group to wanna play for one another. it starts with your best player. So, for him to do that, kudos,” Russell said.
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Scottie Barnes Issues Statement on Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell