'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
D'Angelo Russell had a rough 2023 Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets that LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham eventually benched him. “D-Lo” had a hard time scoring against their bigger, more physical opponents and was bullied on defense. Ham finally asked former Lakers backup guard Dennis Schroder to take over Russell's spot in the first five.
On Saturday, the Lakers were in Mile High City to open their first-round series against the Nuggets in a rematch of last year’s encounter. As if on cue, Russell again had a tough night on offense right out of the gates that Ham had to limit him. In eight first-half minutes, the once-confident point guard went 4-for-11, including a ghastly 0-for-5 clip from deep.
NBA fans promptly piled up on him following another frustratingly poor performance from D'Angelo Russell:
“Back to default setting”
One observer had to troll the Lakers fan base:
"Lakers fans hyped up Dlo all season just for him to disappear like he did last year"
Somebody had to rub it in:
"Nobody is surprised it’s playoff time"
@thaofficialkat comes up with a hilarious conspiracy theory:
"He must be a secret Denver player or something"
It looked like “D-Lo” had shaken off his struggles against the Denver Nuggets after having a solid last two months for the LA Lakers. On some occasions, he lifted the team when LeBron James and Anthony Davis struggled. He sometimes looked like the third-best player on the Lakers, just slightly ahead of Austin Reaves in Darvin Ham’s pecking order.
In Game 1 against the Nuggets, Laker Nation witnessed an all-too-familiar performance from D'Angelo Russell. The fans knew that the Lakers might have gotten away with such a display from him against another opponent, but not against the defending champs.
Adding to Ham's misery was Austin Reaves’ forgettable performance. “AR” competed on defense and helped with the playmaking but just couldn’t get his stroke going. It was almost impossible for the Lakers to steal a win if their backcourt combined for 26 points on 11-for-29 shooting, including 3-for-15 in 3-pointers.
D'Angelo Russell wasn’t the only one who followed an old script against the Nuggets
D'Angelo Russell wasn’t the only Laker who followed a familiar script against the defending NBA champs. Before Game 1, Los Angeles had lost eight straight games that were quite competitive before the Nuggets turned up the heat late. The series-opener, like Russell, had largely the same flow as the previous games.
An early 10-point outburst from LeBron James was a harbinger of things to come from the four-time MVP. James' energy was contagious as he led his team in scoring and playmaking. “King James” couldn’t seem to miss. Anthony Davis showed up with the same relish to take on "The Joker" on both ends of the floor.
Eventually, D'Angelo Russell and the Lakers went down a rabbit hole they’ve had no success getting out. The Denver Nuggets slowly suffocated them down the stretch behind Nikola Jokic’s brilliance. James looked tired towards the end while Russell was helpless.
Russell walked away from the game with 13 points, needing a remarkable 20-shot night to get his tally. Out of his nine attempts from deep, he managed to sink just one. Unless “D-Lo” and the Lakers stop caving in versus Denver, they could follow the same script again as last season which ended in a sweep.
