D'Angleo Russell impresses in his return

Mar 11

After missing the previous six games with an ankle injury, D’Angelo Russell made his return in a matchup versus the Toronto Raptors in Los Angeles. The Lakers pulled out a 122-112 victory behind Russell’s team high 28 points, 16 of those in the 4th quarter, while also adding 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 threes.

Russell’s impact was felt all night whether it was finding open teammates or creating a shot for himself. The Lakers offense looked immensely better with it running through the Russell and Anthony Davis pick and roll. Russell’s decision making was picture perfect in the pick and roll. He was finishing tough layups, pulling up for three, hitting Davis on the roll, and kicking it out to open teammates for three.

Russell’s return also improved the Lakers bench which outscored the Raptors bench 61 to 12. Schröder and Austin Reaves did a great job at controlling the offense for the bench. Rui Hachimura also contributed off the bench and kept the team afloat while the Lakers went through scoring droughts.

The Lakers are only going to get better while building chemistry with every game they play. They are currently the number one defensive team since the trade deadline and stand at the ninth seed in the West. The Lakers have looked like a serious playoff threat even without their superstar Lebron James.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers can keep up this momentum and make their run for a playoff spot.