D’Angelo Russell just cemented his name in the purple and gold record books. During the Los Angeles Lakers’ Friday game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Russell broke the record for most threes made by a Laker within a single season. He managed the feat with 6:15 left in the first quarter, sinking a left-corner hit off a kickout from LeBron James
That was Russell’s first three of the night and his 184th of the season. He went on to sink three more triples for a 14-point outing, helping the Lakers come away with a 101-94 victory. (via Spectrum SportsNet)
Following the game, D’Lo opened up on his record-breaking night.
“It just feels good to be a part of one of these types of deals,” Russell said, per Lakers Nation. “This franchise is one of the most prestigious, so to have that record, I’m more than grateful…Now I’ll try to shatter it.”
The left-handed guard is on pace for his best three-point shooting season, percentage-wise. Sinking 42.3% on 6.8 attempts a game, Russell has been the Lakers’ top threat from outside. And he’s proving the doubters wrong, coming from a pre-trade deadline period full of trade rumors.
In his last 20 games, Russell is averaging 20.1 points, 6.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while finishing in double-digit points through 19 of the 20 said games. He scored 44 points to lead the Lakers in a close win against the Milwaukee Bucks last March 8. As for season totals, Russell currently tallies 18.0 points, 6.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.
Looking at the standings, LA is ninth in the West with a 38-32 record. While the Golden State Warriors are hot on their heels, The Lakers themselves are closing in on the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks (eighth, seventh and sixth seeds, respectively). LA has now won two in a row and has claimed six of their last 10 games.
Nevertheless, the Lakers have to keep their foot on the gas to ensure a playoff berth. Behind LA and Golden State, the 11th-seed Houston Rockets are on a seven-game winning streak. The battle for play-in spots and the highly-desired sixth seed might just come down to the final regular-season games. And for D’Angelo Russell and Co., the road ahead isn’t smooth. The Lakers’ final stretch of games includes matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and coincidentally, the Warriors.
They’ll be needing everything they can get out of their injury-depleted roster, which brings another concern to the Lakers fandom. Questions surrounding Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent’s return linger as of late, and so far, the team hasn’t given official dates for any of them. While a recent rumor points to a possible Vanderbilt comeback within the regular-season timeframe, there have been no announcements as of yet. In addition to Vando and Vincent, Christian Wood just had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee this past Tuesday, ruling him out for some time.
While it may all look concerning on paper, fans just have to remember — the Lakers have D’Angelo Russell, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In other words, they have a trio of vets who’ve experienced the pressure of making the postseason many times throughout their careers. A difficult homestretch could get on the nerves of a rookie or a sophomore, but for those riddled with experience, it’s nothing new.
