In yet another disappointing turn of events, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a disheartening loss against the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of their first-round playoff matchup. The Nuggets have exposed the Lakers’ disarray in this series, going up 3-0 on the road against a team that has struggled to function cohesively on the court. A significant contributor to the Lakers’ downfall was the lackluster performance of D’Angelo Russell, who had a scoreless night. Contrary to his Game 2 performance, Russell failed to find his rhythm in this crucial home game at Crypto.com Arena, going 0 for 6 from beyond the arc.
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However, Russell’s on-court struggles were compounded by his questionable behavior during the game. Fans were disappointed with him after he was seen sitting on the bench, avoiding the team huddle despite his lack of production on the hardwood.
Here it must be noted, that this kind of an incident is not unprecedented for Russell, which underlines his poor sportsmanship when faced with adversity. One fan took to the social media platform ‘X’ to recount a similar incident witnessed by him, that happened two years ago, when D’Lo played for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“This is not new. Like I mentioned 2 years ago vs an opponent I can’t exactly remember, he quit on the Timberwolves during a game. I sat right there front-row media, next to the bench. KAT went to him after consecutive timeouts and asked for him to join the huddle,” the fan named Henry Lake wrote in his tweet.
While the specific instance the fan mentions from two years ago can’t be verified with solid evidence, but reports of similar behavior have been cited in NBA circles. Russell’s indifference really accentuates the Lakers’ mental state in the series. The players seemed to have given up before the series moved to LA. If things remain the same, the Lakers could get swept in Game 4, like they were last year in the Conference Finals.
Coach Darvin Ham shows confidence in D’Angelo Russell
While the Lakers’ recent loss was undoubtedly a collective blunder, the media seemed to be more interested in looking for scapegoats. Russell seemed to be the perfect candidate after the “scoreless” performance. Lakers Coach Darvin Ham was hounded with questions about the veteran guard’s shooting woes. However, Ham defended the media’s questions with positivity and hope.
“He had some good looks that didn’t go down, just like Game 1. He bounced back in Game 2 and I expect him to bounce back in Game 4,” the Lakers HC said.
While the Los Angeles Lakers did play quality basketball during stretches of Game 3, it was mostly absent after the teams returned from their half-time break. Even LeBron James had to admit during his post-game presser that the LA side seemed to go hard during the first half, but ran out of steam by the time the fourth quarter rolled into frame. While the Lakers didn’t throw away a 20-point lead this time around, D’Angelo Russell’s antics on the sideline definitely point to an internal problem in the team’s functioning.
