D’Angelo Russell experienced a productive regular season but his performance in the postseason has left much to be desired. The Los Angeles Lakers guard missed 13 of his last 16 shots during their opening game defeat against defending NBA champions Denver Nuggets, and this trend continued as they lost Game 2 on the road before returning for a home fixture that also ended in disappointment.
In the final moments of the matchup at Crypto.com Arena, Russell was spotted sitting sideways on the bench while his teammates huddled to strategize a comeback. The Lakers ultimately fell by an 112-105 scoreline and now find themselves in danger of elimination.
It remains unclear whether Russell intentionally opted out of the team’s strategy session, but he had another dismal game, failing to register any points after missing all seven shots from the field. Fans inside the arena voiced their dissatisfaction with his performance as time wore on and he was subsequently substituted off.
Despite struggling in attack, Russell contributed three rebounds and a blocked shot during the matchup against Denver Nuggets’ starters Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. His recent struggles brought back memories of similar offensive woes suffered at their hands during last year’s Western Conference finals series but, for now, it appears that the Lakers still believe in All-Star point guard Russell.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham affirmed his support earlier this week following a Game 1 loss: “D-Lo is a huge reason why we’re here in the first place. I’m not going to bail out on my player just because he’s missing shots that he normally makes.” The Lakers still believe Russell has what it takes and, although his recent form leaves much to be desired, they are sticking by him as their postseason campaign continues against Denver Nuggets in Game 4 this Saturday.
The Los Angeles-based franchise have now lost seven consecutive playoff games to the Nuggets.
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