(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night when they beat that team by one single point, 123-122.
LA was without LeBron James but they were still able to score a hugely important win, thanks to the hard work of D’Angelo Russell.
Russell went wild with a season-high 44 points and 9 assists, going 17-of-25 from the field and 9-of-12 from the three-point line.
After the game, head coach Darvin Ham said that Russell’s incredible night was all part of the plan.
“He’s kept his word when I told him to take over the game,” Ham said to Spectrum SportsNet.
Darvin Ham on D’Angelo Russell: “He’s kept his word when I told him to takeover the game.” pic.twitter.com/U7MwQamGDb
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 9, 2024
Lakers fans were very nervous heading into Friday night’s game.
That is understandable considering the Bucks are the third-best team in the Eastern Conference and had both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard ready to play.
Meanwhile, the Lakers didn’t have James on their side and have been suffering from serious inconsistency lately.
If it wasn’t for Russell, the Lakers likely would have fallen to the Bucks.
Although Anthony Davis scored 22 points and 13 rebounds, Austin Reaves put up 18, and other players also chipped in quite a bit, Russell was easily the main star to lead the way.
It was a dominant, stunning performance from the guard, just a bit more than a month after many people expected him to be traded.
Russell has been playing wonderful basketball for months now, both before and after the recent trade deadline.
But Friday night’s game was the biggest game of the season for him.
Ham and the Lakers were very lucky that Russell was suited up and able to play against the Bucks.
He stepped up when the team needed him most and repeatedly prevented the Bucks from pulling away.
In the end, his final bucket was the one that led the Lakers to victory.
It was a very good night for the Lakers and an incredibly good night for Russell.
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