D'Angelo Russell is unlikely to play in the Los Angeles Lakers' matchup with the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Sunday.
“I doubt that he’ll be able to play Sunday,” head coach Darvin Ham said at practice on Friday. The Lakers will release an official update on Saturday regarding the injury.
Russell (celebrating his 27th birthday) was forced to exit the Lakers' encouraging win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday after tweaking his ankle in the second quarter during an altercation with Donte DiVincenzo.
— follow @dubs408 (@somedubvids) February 24, 2023
The Lakers immediately conducted an MRI, which came back negative and revealed no structural damage. Russell was deemed “day-to-day” by the team.
In his postgame remarks, Ham said he wasn't concerned about DLo's injury in the long run. Russell also downplayed the seriousness of the sprain.
“Wrong place, wrong time,” DLo said. “Sore. Any other ankle injury, the same thing. Sore, try and bounce back tomorrow and see how it feels. Get some meds in me, some rehab. Be alright … I’m not worried.”
"Our team is stacked, so when guys aren't playing their best it allows other guys to step up." @Dloading shakes off the twisted ankle and likes what the #lakers have to offer. pic.twitter.com/p1by0NovKv
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 24, 2023
Excluding his eight minutes vs. Golden State, Russell is averaging 17.3 points and 5.7 assists on .450/.375/.769 shooting splits in his three full games with the Lakers since the trade deadline. The spacing and passing he provides have already proven to be a fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as his former head coach Steve Kerr discussed.
Steve Kerr on why D’Angelo Russell is a good fit next to LeBron and AD: pic.twitter.com/X1sVNK7Fev
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) February 24, 2023
Following the Dallas visit, the Lakers face a challenging road back-t0-back against the Memphis Grizzlies (Tuesday) and Oklahoma City Thunder (Wednesday). Los Angeles' next handful of games will come against teams they're chasing in the Western Conference playoff race.
Fortunately, Dennis Schroder has played consistently excellent basketball all season, so he can step in for DLo in the meantime.
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