Lakers Fans Turn on D’Angelo Russell as LeBron, LAL Lose Game 3 vs. Jokić, Nuggets
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In a must-win game on Saturday night, the Lakers couldn’t afford to have any weak links.
And that is exactly what D’Angelo Russell was in Los Angeles’ 119-108 loss to the Denver Nuggets on their home floor at Crypto.com Arena to fall into a dreaded 3-0 series hole against the No. 1 seed in the West.
It was the Lakers’ first loss at home in the playoffs.
Russell, who was the team’s big acquisition ahead of the trade deadline back in February, had just three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range. He also had three turnovers in the loss.
Coach Darvin Ham had to take him out in place of Rui Hachimura as Russell played just 20 minutes to Hachimura’s 34.
It may be a switch that Ham needs to make permanently if the Lakers’ are going to have any prayer of overcoming the 3-0 deficit, which has never been done before.
Despite Russell’s horrific night, Los Angeles was still able to keep it close for most of the night, even holding a lead early in the fourth quarter. But it just wasn’t enough despite Anthony Davis’ 28 points and 18 rebounds and LeBron James’ 23 points and 12 assists.
Lakers’ nation directed a lot of its anger towards Russell following the loss.
Russell’s performance immediately led to Lakers’ fans calling for the team to acquire Mavericks’ star guard Kyrie Irving this offseason.
It’s something the fanbase has been groveling for all year long. And now on the brink of elimination, the calls are louder than ever.
As for the Nuggets, their star duo of Nikola Jokic´ and Jamal Murray showed up big once again. Murray was especially good, scoring 30 of his game-high 37 points in the first half to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.
From 2-10 to the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers had a great run this postseason. But without a miraculous performance the rest of the series, their season looks toast.
If they are going to get back into this series it’ll start with defending home court in Game 4, which is set to take place Monday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.