D'Angelo Russell led the Los Angeles Lakers in scoring on Friday — and, possibly scoops, too.
Russell “spearheaded” the Lakers' offensive barrage against the New Orleans Pelicans, described head coach Darvin Ham. In his first game since the 2024 NBA trade deadline — he missed Thursday's loss vs. the Denver Nuggets due to a knee treatment — Russell contributed 30 points in 40 minutes, highlighted by an electrifying second-quarter sequence in which he drilled four straight triples (and two free throws). Los Angeles scored 51 points in the period on their way to a 139-122 win.
Go off then, DLO!#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/CUUVy8hEbA
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 10, 2024
The victory placed the Lakers (28-26) three games back of the Pelicans (30-22) for the No. 7 seed.
As the action unfolded, another bucket-getting ex-Brooklyn Nets guard, Spencer Dinwiddie, emerged from the Crypto.com Arena tunnel and took a seat next to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. Postgame, Dinwiddie was ushered into the Lakers' locker room.
After Darvin Ham evaded a Dinwiddie question by mentioning the aroma of brisket emanating from the team buffet (yes, really), Russell was asked what his former Nets running mate (2017-19) could offer the Lakers:
D’Angelo Russell on Spencer Dinwiddie: “I’m a fan. Y’all will get to know him soon.” pic.twitter.com/uEBMx7Da5K
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) February 10, 2024
The Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are competing for Dinwiddie, who was waived by the Toronto Raptors. On Thursday, Pelinka said the Lakers will target a “ball-handling guard” on the buyout market, noting the uncertainty about Gabe Vincent's timetable to return from knee surgery.
Dinwiddie, a Los Angeles native, has averaged 13.6 points and 5,3 assists on .415/.331/.794 shooting splits for his career.
“He's a big guard,” said Anthony Davis (20 points). “Shot-maker. Obviously, we've seen what he did with Brooklyn, what he did with Dallas, making big plays for them. He's a well-established vet in this league.”
Ironically, Dinwiddie's recruiting visit came on a night when the Lakers operated like a fine-tuned machine. Fueled by Russell's playmaking, the Lakers' inconsistent halfcourt offense ran smoothly from the get-go. They finished with 32 assists against six turnovers, shot 15-for-31 from 3-point range, and had all five starters score over 20 points — a feat that hadn't occurred in the NBA since 1993 (and last by the Lakers in 1984).
Anthony Davis finished with 20 points, Rui Hachimura bounced back from a no-show vs. Denver to pour in an energized 21 points, while Austin Reaves (27 points) shot 10-of-15 from the field.
“We were in a great flow,” said LeBron James, who posted 21 points, 14 assists. “The ball was poppin'.”
Austin Reaves: "We were making the extra pass. We were getting wide-open looks, to be honest. And when DLo sees a couple go in, I mean, I got like a 97 percent guess-rate correct — when he's about to shoot it, I can tell you every time. I love it. It's a beautiful thing to see.” pic.twitter.com/1yuNxt6ml9
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) February 10, 2024
That said, with Vincent out indefinitely and Max Christie awaiting MRI results on his sprained ankle, the Lakers are thin at guard. 2023 first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino is painfully raw. Two-way player Skylar Mays was largely ineffective in his 16 minutes vs. New Orleans.
LeBron, perhaps a bit more responsibly than Russell, spoke more generally about what Dinwiddie potentially brings to the table.
“Playmaking. Another ball-handler. Another shot-maker. Another veteran. Anytime you can add a veteran with that ability, it helps. So we'll see what happens.”
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