With LeBron James injured in his ankle, D’Angelo Russell took a big step forward Friday night to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Russell was on fire from start to finish, scoring 44 points on 17-of-25 shooting (9-of-12 from deep) with six rebounds and nine assists. With the Lakers trailing by one point late, Russell hits the winning floater to ensure victory.
After the game, Russell talked about what he saw on that play and how he was able to come through when his team needed it.
“Just attack. We knew what we were trying to do and what we were trying to achieve. They searched the cover a bit. I’m just trying to be aggressive earlier to give us time if we miss the shot to get a rebound and things like that. We got it, we did it, we stopped. It was huge,” Russell said.
In Russell’s last 26 games, he averaged 22.7 points and made 45.7% of his shots on 3 of 8.6 attempts. He talked about the pace he was in and how he managed to maintain it.
“I mean, I said it when I sat down with a tailbone injury and I mentioned it to you, just recognizing the pockets where I could be more aggressive and effective and I saw it and I I attacked as soon as I returned. »
The hot streak began just as trade rumors were swirling left and right. Russell didn’t let that affect his confidence and after staying with the Lakers after the deadline, his game took off even more.
“With my job, with my talent on the field, I always had the feeling of being capable of doing things. Being hot makes things a little more exciting throughout a game,” Russell said.
“Off the field, obviously, you know what I went through. Public humiliation only made me the killer you all see today. And I’ve never lacked confidence, I’m never afraid of confrontation. I want everything to smoke. I want to talk about it. Let us high-IQ players get in the room and talk about it. I’m just confident in what I bring to basketball. If it’s film, if it’s watching and helping young players. I just know what I bring to the table, so whatever room I walk into, I’m confident.
Laker fans have really come to embrace Russell, especially when he’s on the heat and getting the crowd going at home games. He talked about how cool it was to interact with the fans and be able to feed off that energy to help the Lakers.
“I think it’s huge for us to get this win. Obviously the standings are tight and all that, but as a group we’re trying to be healthy. This is the most difficult thing for us. So for us to be able to get wins with the groups that we have, there’s not a lot of chemistry with some of these units, but we understand it and everyone steps up and plays,” Russell said .
“For Laker fans, I know what they are like in this arena. I know they’re ready to explode at any moment. They go through hell to get here every day and be as loud as they can be and cheer us on through good games and bad games. I know what it takes. So whenever I feel that momentum, I like to move them forward. If I can get the crowd to waive or whatever, interact with the fans after games and hand out shoes. I have a Q&A coming up right after, so I’m a man of the people. I appreciate the fans and they support me.
D’Angelo Russell explains why he didn’t have a signing celebration
Since Russell’s rookie season with the Lakers, he has coined an “Ice in My Veins” celebration due to his ability to hit big shots. However, he didn’t do so after his game-winning floater against the Bucks and explained why.
“If you get a 3, it’s a little more exciting. With time running out, they still had one little game left, one opportunity for them to win,” Russell said. “So I don’t like ‘ice in my veins’ and we lose, I don’t like to waste it. I like to do it when I know the game is sealed. That’s why you haven’t really seen me do this. We celebrate the shot with this movement, but you don’t see me doing this after a save or after hitting a shot. I like that it seals the game.
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