D’Angelo Russell had a resurgent regular season, but his postseason wasn’t very good. Los Angeles Lakers The guard missed 13 of his last 16 shot attempts during the Game 1 loss to the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers dropped Game 2 to Denver before returning to Los Angeles for Game 3. first round series, Which didn’t go the Lakers’ way either.
In the final minutes of the game, Russell was seen sitting sideways on the bench at the end of the game as his Lakers teammates gathered to plan a comeback. Los Angeles lost 112-105 and is on the verge of elimination.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell sits sideways on the bench during the final moments of the Lakers’ 112-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 25, 2024. in Los Angeles. (Gina Frazee/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
It is unclear whether Russell intended to be dropped from the team or not. He had another disappointing game, missing all seven of his shots from the field and ending the night with zero points.
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As the game progressed, fans in the Lakers area began to express their displeasure with Russell’s performance and he was eventually escorted off the bench.
Although the 28-year-old guard struggled on the offensive end, he grabbed three rebounds and blocked one shot.
D’Angelo Russell of the Los Angeles Lakers practices before the game against the Denver Nuggets during the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 25, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Adam Pentozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
Russell’s recent struggles bring back memories of the offensive issues he faced gold nugget In the 2023 Western Conference Finals. But the Lakers still seem to believe in the All-Star point guard.
“D-Lo is a big reason we’re here in the first place,” Lakers coach Darwin Hamm said earlier this week after the Lakers’ Game 1 loss. “I’m not going to give my player relief just because he’s missing the shots he normally makes. The same shots were going in against New Orleans [in the play-in tournament] And other games he has played to help us get to this point. So, it wasn’t his night.”
D’Angelo Russell of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball during Game 3 of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on April 25, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Adam Pentozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Lakers have lost seven consecutive playoff games to the Nuggets.
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Lakers hosted twice NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets for Game 4 Saturday.
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