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Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
D’Angelo Russell’s red-hot shot led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 116-104 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
The 28-year-old finished the game with 26 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in 34 minutes. He shot 9 of 17 overall and made five of 11 attempts from three-point range.
Things were going so well for Russell that when he tried to pass the ball to LeBron James, it was immediately returned with a look That basically told him he needed to shoot the ball.
James’ strategy paid off, as Russell hit an absurd off-balance 3-pointer with Jalen Williams on top of him.
NBA @NBA
D’Angelo Russell becomes sneaky on the perimeter and hits the willing triple over the defender 😱
OKC-LAL | Live on NBA TV
📲 https://t.co/YDoyk5QabG pic.twitter.com/Cww8vxyOzp
That was Russell’s third 3-pointer in the span of 70 seconds to help the Lakers extend their lead to 24 and essentially put the nail in the coffin for this game.
Russell’s stat line on Monday was the first time a Lakers player reached those marks since Kobe Bryant during the 2005-06 season.
StatMuse @stamusa
DLo tonight:
26 PTS
6 REB
4 STL
5 3PThe first Laker to reach those numbers since Kobe Bryant in 2006. https://t.co/cHsM8FIb8j
StatMuse @stamusa
Last three Lakers with 25/5/4 and 5+ 3P in a game:
—Magic Johnson
—Kobe Bryant
— D’Angelo Russell pic.twitter.com/SBBnJFHBQt
It has been thought that Russell will eventually calm down, causing problems for a Lakers team that has struggled to find consistent success behind the arc.
It hasn’t happened yet and we’re almost two months into this good run for Russell. He is averaging 22.1 points on 46.4 percent shooting (44.4 percent from three-point range) and 6.4 assists per game in 21 starts since Jan. 17.
Lakers fans and players are certainly taking notice of Russell’s efforts and appreciate how he is elevating the team down the stretch.
SportsNet Spectrum @SpectrumSN
“That’s what he does, he’s shown that he can get hot at any point in the game. When he scored the first two, we knew the third was going to go up.” Anthony Davis on D’Angelo Russell’s hot hand. pic.twitter.com/HS79c7fVAO
clutch points @clutch points
D’Angelo Russell starting the 4th quarter for the Lakers 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cuUuqSJpHf
❄️ @IceyDLO
D’Angelo Russell in the last two months:
OKC: 26 pts, 4 stl, 5 3’s
PHX: 20 pts, 7 ast
NO: 30 points, 5 aces, 6 triples
BOS: 16 pts, 17 ast
GS: 28 pts, 5 triples, 5 ast
LAC: 27 pts, 10 ast
DAL: 29 points, 5 triples
The “Only Bad Teams” audience is DEAD 😂🫵 pic.twitter.com/uFXM0sUMwC
Darrell Bluett’s Ghostwriter @anferknee
“Why does d’angelo russell have fans?” pic.twitter.com/Gusewm2NOv
Daniel Starkand @DStarkand
Austin Reaves on D’Angelo Russell’s 3-point shooting streak capped by ridiculousness and Reaves’ 4-for-5 night from deep being overshadowed by his defensive partner: pic.twitter.com/NkTFmNHRPd
Oluwajomiloju @JomiAdeniran
Me watching D’Angelo Russell go crazy in the third quarter pic.twitter.com/0E7OOHz79m
Russell’s performance managed to overshadow the good games of James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves. James finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Davis scored 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 30 minutes. Reaves scored 16 points on 4 of 5 three-point shooting, in addition to dishing out seven assists and grabbing six rebounds.
If the Lakers make it out of the play-in tournament, they will almost certainly feel confident in their chances against Oklahoma City. They took three of the four regular season meetings with the Thunder.
The Lakers are the only team with three wins over the Thunder this season. Their victory also knocked Oklahoma City out of the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference, although they are still tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the loss column.
Los Angeles will look for its fourth win in five games on Wednesday when it hosts the Sacramento Kings.
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