D’Angelo Russell, who had trouble shooting in Game 1 against the Nuggets, says he’s “excited” for Game 2.
D’Angelo Russell expressed optimism for Game 2 after the Nuggets caused him problems in Saturday’s first game.
One of the Lakers’ primary priorities ahead of their second consecutive postseason matchup was D’Angelo Russell. Due to his significance and excellent play this season, many eyes were focused on D’Lo after he was benched in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals due to his terrible play the previous season.
Regretfully, it seemed a little like deja vu all over again.
In fact, Russell got off to a fast start, making three of his first four attempts. For comparison, in Game 3 and 4 combined last season, D’Lo only managed 3-12 shots.
Russell, however, missed just three of his next sixteen attempts following his explosive start on Saturday, going 1-9 overall from the 3-point line. His 13 points might have been more than his previous average.
although it was a far cry from what the Lakers required going into Saturday’s defeat and the remainder of this game versus Denver in the previous year’s playoff series.
However, D’Lo wasn’t all bad after the game. It was, in reality, the exact opposite.
Fantastic appearance. Russell remarked, “I mean, I can’t be mad.” “I can’t remember when I last received twenty, so it wasn’t twenty good looks for me—probably five or six of them were dubious. I am aware of my abilities. To be honest, I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled about it.
“It seems like the ball just doesn’t fall sometimes. I tried to remain on the floor defensively, but I was preoccupied with all the minor intricacies and things like that.that. You look up, and your shot isn’t going down. No affection was lost. That one cannot cause you any grief. Watch out for the next one.
Even if it was disheartening to see Russell struggle once more on Saturday, this season was very different from the previous one. Compared to last season, when D’Lo was frequently an observer, D’Lo and the Lakers’ process was improved.
Russell is undoubtedly prone to streaky shooting nights, but in this Game 1, it felt more like one of those nights than of his previous season’s problems against the Nuggets, when Bruce Brown played him off the floor. If D’Lo had been given the same shots as he had on Saturday, he easily could have scored over thirty points.
The fact that Russell maintained his confidence despite his shot not falling may be the most promising development. During the four postseason games versus Denver last season, D’Lo made just
A total of 31 field goals were made.
D’Lo was shooting, but he wasn’t hitting the targets. It’s possible that the fact that he’s playing for the Nuggets again has anything to do with it all, but considering his assurance and self-assurance, it’s unlikely.
The fact that Russell’s teammates still think highly of him is also crucial.
About what he would like Russell to do, Anthony Davis replied, “Just get ready for Game 2.” “There is nothing we can do about this. However, you can take action regarding Game 2. We are aware of D’Lo’s value to our group. He is a really good offensive player who can score and shoot the ball. Simply must complete it. We don’t have time for a regular season game like this one. We trail 0 to 1.
He just needs to enter the game, and we’ll keep telling him to shoot the ball and play the way he has been playing up to this point. He seems like a player who never loses confidence in himself, but I believe that he will change after he watches a couple players go in.
There’s no assurance that Russell will recover in Game 2. Perhaps he is cursed with voodoo and will never be able to perform effectively against the Nuggets in the postseason. To lead the team to this far in the play-in game against the Pelicans, he exorcised some demons, and the Lakers will now require even more.
Russell and the
Every game of this series, the Lakers would take advantage of his open shots at the rim and beyond the arc in the hopes that D’Lo would make it to the playoffs during the regular season.
Russell stated, “I’m definitely not frustrated about missing shots.” “I really do mean it when I say that I love the looks I was getting.” Knowing that I got the appearance I want and other things makes me happy.
