Lakers overpower Blazers behind hot shooting night from D’Angelo Russell
The Lakers bounced back from their worst loss of the season with a redeeming 132-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, behind a stellar 34-point performance from D’Angelo Russell.
The 22-point win moves L.A. back to a .500 record at 22-22, making it their third win in their last four games.
To go with his team-high scoring night, shooting six-for-11 (54.5%) from three and 14-for-21 (66.6%) overall, Russell finished with eight assists and two blocks with a plus/minus of +29.
“He’s done a wonderful job being a pro about all of it,” head coach Darvin Ham said about how Russell has handled trade rumors. “Tonight was one of the most complete games I’ve seen him play since he's been back in a Lakers uniform.”
Since being inserted back into the starting lineup on Jan. 13 against the Utah Jazz, Russell has averaged 27.2 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 53.7% from three and 55.9% overall in five games since.
The two biggest plays of the night came from Russell's assist and a fake being the back from the point guard. The first one came in the second quarter, with Russell rewarding a trailing LeBron James on the fast break with a bounce pass alley-oop.
The next one came late in the fourth quarter on a two-on-one fast break as Russell faked a behind-the-back pass to LeBron to get the easy lay-in.
“Never thought I’d be able to throw a bounce pass lob to LeBron James in a game,” Russell said about the play.
LeBron finished second on the team in scoring with 28 points while grabbing five rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes.
LeBron’s continued drive to push the ball gave them the spark to exploit Portland's defense in transition, scoring 35 fast break points while holding the Blazers to just 8 points.
“Just try to stay in top-tier shape when I’m out on the floor; being able to get points in transition when the defense is not set is good for our ball club,” LeBron said on his production on the fast break. “I’m just trying to be efficient when I’m out there.”
According to TeamRanking, the Lakers are averaging 17.5 fast break points per game and have averaged 30 points in transition in the last three games.
Attempting just seven shots on the night, making four, Anthony Davis had a quiet yet efficient night, scoring 14 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, leading to a fourth-quarter rest in his 26 minutes of action.
The Lakers technically remain at home in their next matchup on Tuesday against the 27–14 Los Angeles Clippers at 7 p.m.
Anticipate a closely contested matchup as the Lakers hold a 2–0 advantage over their local rivals this season, with both games ending with an average margin of four points.
