The Los Angeles Lakers romped their way to a dominant 134-110 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. D’Angelo Russell had his best game of the season, while LeBron James played like a highlight machine in a win that got the fans really excited after a tough loss in their last outing against the Brooklyn Nets.
Dub. pic.twitter.com/xFoHGZ9FP7
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 22, 2024
Some fans think this D’Lo shouldn’t be traded at this point.
Y’all still wanna trade D’Angelo Russell for Bruce Brown lmaooo
— Jake (@playoffjake) January 22, 2024
Fans were stunned to see LeBron throw down an incredible bounce-pass alley-oop from D’Angelo Russell.
LEBRON JAMES 👑 pic.twitter.com/6OJQToiiNw
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 22, 2024
Fans loved it when LeBron threw down a beautiful pass to Christian Wood under the basket for an easy dunk.
I will never get tired of watching LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/nzeYQ8F0mW
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) January 22, 2024
Fans caught on to the fact that LeBron was trying to put on a show for everyone.
LEBRON JAMES SAID LET'S HAVE FUN
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) January 22, 2024
Fans were fuming at the lack of free throw calls for LeBron, who was bleeding after aggressive defense from Scoot Henderson without a call.
LeBron gets scratched and the officials can’t call a foul but they can call timeout because of the blood. Lmao pic.twitter.com/uq1GkZV6G4
— 👑🐐 (@LukaToBron) January 22, 2024
Fans were shocked at Darvin Ham’s lack of control over the game at the end when LeBron checked himself out of the game.
LeBron took a foul to take himself out and then called a timeout because Darvin Ham wouldn't do it himself, can't make it up lol pic.twitter.com/kx3lbKrb9U
— LakeShow Highlights (@LSH_lakeshow) January 22, 2024
Despite everything LeBron did, D’Angelo Russell was the star of the Lakers tonight and fans showed him love as well.
Oh my god D'Angelo Russell is on an insane heater right now
— Sean Davis (@Sean_Davi) January 22, 2024
D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 34 points and eight assists while LeBron James put up 28 points with five rebounds and five assists. Anthony Davis didn’t have to assert himself offensively and ended the night with just 14 points but with 14 rebounds. The Lakers have improved their record to 22-22.
The Trail Blazers looked flat from the opening tip, with Malcolm Brogdon leading them with 23 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. Anferne Simons chipped in with 19 points and Jerami Grant added 17, but it wasn’t nearly enough for what the Blazers needed, as they fall to 12-30 on the season.
Can The Lakers Trade D’Angelo Russell Now?
D’Angelo Russell was one of the keys behind the Lakers’ late-season surge to the Western Conference Finals this season. While his poor playoff performances did hurt his value, everyone recognized that they wouldn’t have climbed up the Western Conference standings without D’Lo’s contribution in the regular season. His inconsistency is incredibly frustrating, as his performances were key to the Lakers’ In-Season Tournament win before his fall-off hurt the Lakers.
He’s averaging 27.2 points and 6.4 assists over the last five games as the Lakers have gone 4-1. When he plays well, the Lakers do well. When he plays poorly, he can drown the Lakers with him. This is a genuine dilemma that the front office needs to explore while looking at trades this winter.
Moving D’Lo for a poor offensive piece or creator like Bruce Brown would be incredibly foolish. The Lakers need good guard play. If they move Russell, it has to be for a point guard replacement. Even while looking at those options, there may be no needle-moving option available beyond Dejounte Murray.
The Lakers will hope Russell can find some consistency over the next month, whether to inflate his trade value or prove to themselves they don’t need to lose more future assets for incremental again.
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