The Los Angeles Lakers announced that D'Angelo Russell is dealing with right hip soreness and has been downgraded to questionable for tonight's game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Russell has shined in his second stint with the Lakers. In his 11 appearances since the trade deadline, DLo has averaged 18.6 points and 6.4 assists per game. His 39.5% three-point percentage has provided crucial and timely spacing and helped compensate for Malik Beasley's mostly-cold shooting.

 

After missing six games with a sprained ankle, Russell has put up 21.6 points and 7.1 assists on .482/.407/.840 shooting splits. In the Lakers' impressive 11-point win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, DLo posted 26 points (9-of-13 shooting) and 6 assists. He and a red-hot Austin Reaves arguably outplayed the PHX backcourt duo of Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

“I’m just at peace, to be honest,” Russell said Wednesday about being back in a Lakers uniform.

At the moment, it's unclear when or how Russell developed the hip soreness. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will address the media around 5:45 p.m. PT tonight, so we'll get more information around then.

Anthony Davis is probable to face OKC, while LeBron James remains sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Russell's absence vs. the Thunder would be a major blow to the Lakers. Oklahoma City and Los Angeles enter Friday's showdown tied for the No. 9 seed at 36-37, and the winner of tonight's game will secure the tiebreaker between the two squads.

Plus, the Thunder backcourt of Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who's status remains TBD) has thrived against the Lakers over the past two seasons.