The NBA trade deadline went by and D’Angelo Russell still found himself on the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster despite numerous reports that he was being discussed in deals.
Russell was the most likely player to be traded at the deadline because of his value and contract, but the former All-Star stayed put. Although he missed the game against the Denver Nuggets, Russell made up for it with another hot shooting performance to give the Lakers a much-needed win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
The first half featured almost no defense as both teams scored at will, but Russell was the difference in the second quarter. Russell’s been shooting the basketball well and he continued his hot streak by nailing multiple 3-pointers in a row to break the game open for the Lakers.
After a lull in the third quarter, Russell once again picked up the offense with his scoring and gave the Lakers a sizable lead they held onto. Russell led Los Angeles in scoring with 30 points on 9-of-19 shooting including 6-of-13 from beyond the arc. He also had five assists, two rebounds and one steal.
It wasn’t just Russell who had a good scoring night as the other four starters scored 20 points or more. Austin Reaves was the Lakers’ second-leading scorer with 27 points on an impressive 10-of-15 shooting. It was a bounce back game from Reaves, who struggled shooting the basketball the night before against the Nuggets.
Rui Hachimura also rebounded from a subpar performance against Denver as he was active on both ends early. Not only did Hachimura knock down open shots, he was active on both ends of the floor.
Hachimura’s play has been up and down this season, but he had his best game in quite a while with 21 points in the win.
Anthony Davis always has a little something extra in the tank when he plays his former team, but he was forced to miss a chunk of the first half after picking up three fouls in the first quarter. However, the Lakers were able to manage without Davis, which allowed him to play more freely in the second half.
Davis had a quieter game by his standards but still finished with 20 points, six rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block. LeBron James did most of his damage by finding open teammates, finishing with 14 assists, although he still contributed 21 points of his own.
Friday night marked the first time that all five Lakers starters scored at least 20 points since 1984.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers will get the next three days off before returning on Tuesday to host the Detroit Pistons. Afterwards, they hit the road to play the Utah Jazz on Wednesday in the final game before the All-Star break.
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