Despite LeBron James nursing an ankle injury and Anthony Davis losing an arm in the fourth quarter, D'Angelo Russell whipped out the cape from under his seat at Crypto.com Arena on Friday, powering the Los Angeles Lakers to a thrilling 123-122 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Russell posted a season-high 44 points on 17-for-25 shooting, including 8-for-10 from 3 — mostly contested off-the-dribble looks. He added nine assists and six rebounds. He incessantly directed sh-t-talk at the Milwaukee Bucks and, particularly, Patrick Beverley (zero points, -16). He capped his career performance with a floater to put the Lakers up by one with 5.2 seconds to go.

Russell was feeling it all game, but his 21 (of the Lakers' 27) points in the fourth quarter were especially clutch once Davis lost the use of his left shoulder after a collision with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Davis played the final 9:53 but didn't register a field goal (he said the shoulder felt “sore”; the Lakers will issue an update on Saturday.)

“DLo being DLo,” said AD. “Took over the game for us. I was limited, couldn't even really raise my left shoulder. He got in a rhythm, there was no doubt that we were going to him.”

“We knew what we we were trying to get to,” recalled Russell. “It looked like they fumbled the coverage a little bit. Just trying to be aggressive.”

 

“That's DLo, man,” said Darvin Ham, “Just play-making, constantly thinking the game. He kept his word when I told to take over the game. I told him in the first half, ‘Stay aggressive. I need you to be aggressive all night.'”

Russell entered Friday averaging 22.0 points on 44.1% 3-point shooting and 6.3 assists in 24 games since being re-inserted into the starting lineup following a tailbone injury. It's a stunning turnaround from a bleak December, as trade rumors persisted through the Feb. 8 deadline.

“Public humiliation has done nothing but molded me into the killer that y'all see today,” he said. “I never lack confidence. I never fear confrontation. I want all the smoke. … I just feel confident in what I bring to the basketball game.”

“He submerged himself in his work, got back on the court, worked on his game feverishly and then got the opportunity to get in the starting lineup, and he hasn't looked back since,” said Ham. The Lakers head coach pinpointed Russell's re-awakening on Jan. 13, when he exploded for 39 points on the Utah Jazz — also with LeBron in street clothes.

“He's just been balling,” added Ham. “His leadership has come through. His dialogue that he's having with everybody. The way he's seeing the game. He's making winning plays. He's been unbelievable.”

Spencer Dinwiddie only had one field goal in 34 minutes, but he more than validated Ham's decision to stick him on Damian Lillard in crunch-time. Dinwiddie — who got his first start with the Lakers, in place of LeBron — impressively stuck with and rejected Dame at the buzzer.

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“Moved his feet, knowing the tendency of Dame,” said AD, “He just played it well. Great defense from Spence.”

The Los Angeles native — signed for his offense — said it was “definitely dope” to make that play on the same night of his first start. He credited the Lakers bench for “talking out the switch.” (Ham praised the Lakers' for bringing “supreme” energy.)

“I'm not gonna lie to you: having been a high-usage offensive guy my entire career, and even when I was a kid … I kind of dreamed of those moments in terms of hitting the shot, not necessarily getting the block,” said Dinwiddie. “But it feels pretty much just as sweet. It's fun to step into a new role with my childhood team and be productive in the sense of helping us get wins.”

Instead of wasting D'Angelo Russell Russell's career-best performance and probably the most significant defensive play of Spencer Dinwiddie's career, the Lakers picked up one of their most important critical wins of the season.