D'Angelo Russell vs Jamal Murray NBA Playoffs Stats, Records and More Explored

D'Angelo Russell and Jamal Murray are vital cogs in the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets backcourt, respectively. Both guards have been in good touch this season and will face each other when the defending champions host the No. 7 Lakers in the 2024 NBA playoffs. The Nuggets were the dominant force in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers last season, sweeping them in four games.

They continued to stamp that authority in all four regular season matchups against the Purple and Gold this season. While Murray finished as the second-best scorer behind Nikola Jokic last season, Russell had a paltry playoff run that raised questions about his future well into the 2023-24 season.

D'Angelo Russell vs Jamal Murray playoff stats explored

D'Angelo Russell has played 27 playoff games in his career, starting in 26 of those contests. His numbers have been fairly average, propping up 14.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists. On the other hand, Jamal Murray has seen a bit more mileage in the postseason with 53 games, averaging 25.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 6.3 apg.

Both players have been involved in skirmishes before with Murray getting the better of the Lakers star. Russell has averaged 16.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 6.8 apg in 12 games against Murray in his career. As for the latter, he has averaged 19.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 4.9 apg against Russell.

Here's a quick look at the head-to-head numbers of two guards:

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3P%	FT%
D'Angelo Russell	16.9	3.5	6.8	1.6	0.7	40.7	42.0	73.9
Jamal Murray	19.0	2.4	4.9	1.5	1.1	51.3	43.6	93.0

Can D'Angelo Russell keep up his regular season form in the playoffs?

After starting in the initial games to coming off the bench for the LA Lakers, D'Angelo Russell has seen it all this season, including being on the trade block ahead of the deadline.

However, he made a case for himself after producing a breakout season starting in January. Russell has emerged as the reliable third offensive option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis averaging 18.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, and 6.3 apg in 76 games. The guard is shooting 45.6% from the field and has banked 41.5% of his 3s. His free throws may need some work at 82.8%.

Pesky defense and constantly finding buckets has been his mantra this season. The Lakers will hope that he can provide the same level of impetus that Murray does for Denver and reduce the load on James who has been the team's leading scorer this season.

Russell and Austin Reaves have formed a formidable backcourt after both were given starts on the side as the PG and SG respectively. An in-form D'Angelo Russell could be the X-factor against the Nuggets come the playoffs. Only time will tell if the same version of the mercurial guard shows up for LA.