D’Angelo Russell returned to the Crypto.com for the first time since getting traded and LA Lakers fans cheered for what he did in the clutch.
The Los Angeles Lakers locked horns with the Brooklyn Nets. While fans expected it to be a one-sided victory, the Nets almost caused a huge upset in LA.
After all, the Lakers barely pulled away with a one-point win in a game where LeBron James and Austin Reaves had to combine for nearly 70 points.
Another talking point of the matchup was D’Angelo Russell’s return to Crypto.com Arena. D’Lo was earlier traded to the Nets, ending his second stint with the Lakers.
In his return, Russell finished the night with 19 points off the bench. However, he nearly gave the Laker Nation a heart attack with a last-second game-winning three-pointer.
The Lakers were relieved after D’Lo missed the shot. In fact, Russell was ice cold during the clutch against his former team as he was 0-3 from the field during the final two minutes of the game.
LA Lakers fans had sarcastic reactions to Russell’s potential game-winner on X.
One fan wrote: “We know about his reputation on clutch time, it was never going in.” While another added: “Nah but imagine if he made it after making not a thing in LA.”
“Dlo finally helped the Lakers win,” a fan wrote.
A few fans did express sadness over the missed shot.
“This was a bittersweet win…”
“He’s super loved in LA though.”
But the overwhelming emotion was: “This is why they traded him. You are down 1 point.”
Either way, had Russell made that shot, he would have surely become one of the most hated players in LA in recent memory.
After the game, head coach JJ Redick was far from happy with his team’s performance. It’s understandable since the Nets were coming on the heels of a 59-point loss at the hands of the LA Clippers.
But the Lakers barely avoided an upset loss. Coach Redick was also asked if he found D’Lo’s game-winning shot funny. Redick was visibly unamused by the reporter’s question.
“No. I was just more concerned about Max [Christie] being up [and] not allowing separation. I think the way we were ready to fire if he needed to, just the way the clock was going and how much space there was over there,” Redick said.
At the end of the day, a win is a win, as the Lakers have now improved to a 22-17 record for the season and still hold the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
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