<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-crucial-injury-update-jj-redick-pistons-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'D’Angelo Russell gets crucial injury update from JJ Redick after Pistons loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_1132.jpeg"></figure><h1>D’Angelo Russell gets crucial injury update from JJ Redick after Pistons loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T23:56:54-08:00">December 23rd, 11:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T23:57:25-08:00">December 23rd, 11:57pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers’ three-game winning streak was snapped on Monday following a 117–114 loss to the Detroit Pistons at home. The Lakers have had their share of injury concerns this season and before the game, head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jaxson-hayes-christian-wood-get-key-injury-update-per-jj-redick">JJ Redick provided the latest injury news for Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood</a>. After the game, Redick was again the bearer of concerning injury news regarding D’Angelo Russell.</p><p>Russell left the Lakers’ loss to the Pistons late in the fourth quarter, headed for the locker room and did not return.</p><p>Following the Lakers’ loss, JJ Redick was asked what had happened regarding D’Angelo Russell and if it was an injury of some kind. Redick replied that he was getting either <a href="https://x.com/Dave_Yapkowitz/status/1871438997127659980" rel="noopener">his thumb or his hand</a> checked out.</p><p>The Lakers have a day off before they travel up north to take on the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day. An update on Russell’s status will likely come the day before.</p><h2><b>D’Angelo Russell’s role for the Lakers this season</b></h2><p>In the starting lineup to begin the 2024-25 season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-mindset-move-to-bench">Russell moved to the bench</a> after the eighth game of the season. He had two of his best games of the season during the Lakers’ mini-road trip against the Sacramento Kings, two games that resulted in wins.</p><p>On Dec. 18, Russell dropped 16 points and six rebounds while shooting 46.7 percent from the field in a little over 22 minutes. He followed that up on Dec. 21 with 20 points, four rebounds and five assists while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from the three-point line.</p><p>Russell has missed only one game this season and has been playing a little over 26 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 12.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists with splits of 41.9 percent shooting from the field, 33.8 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Russell chose to opt-in to his contract this past offseason and return to the Lakers rather than hit unrestricted free agency. This is the final year of his contract and he will become a free agent at the season’s end. The former No. 2 overall pick has seen his name come up in multiple trade rumors since returning to the franchise that drafted him.</p><p>Russell played two seasons with the Lakers before they traded him to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the draft pick that eventually became Kyle Kuzma. He’s also had stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-stephen-curry-influence-dangelo-russell-leadership">Russell’s leadership has been key with the Lakers</a>, especially with the young players. He attributes that to learning from some of the great players he’s played with such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

D’Angelo Russell gets crucial injury update from JJ Redick after Pistons loss

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/timberwolves-news-dangelo-russell-karl-anthony-towns-minnesota-return');   ga('set', 'title', 'D’Angelo Russell shouts out Karl-Anthony Towns after dominant Timberwolves’ return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Timberwolves-news-DAngelo-Russell-shouts-out-Karl-Anthony-Towns-after-dominant-Minnesota-return.jpg"></figure><h1>D’Angelo Russell shouts out Karl-Anthony Towns after dominant Timberwolves’ return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T09:46:52-08:00">December 20th, 9:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T09:46:52-08:00">December 20th, 9:46am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Karl-Anthony <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-karl-anthony-towns-reacts-to-emotional-welcome-in-minnesota-return">Towns returned to Minnesota</a> to face his former team, and he put on a dominant performance from start to finish. Towns finished with 32 points and 20 rebounds and led the Knicks to a 133-107. Many people were probably excited for Towns to come out and put up big numbers against the Timberwolves, and one of them was D’Angelo Russell.</p><p>“S/o KAT,” Russell <a href="https://x.com/Dloading/status/1869987095227556041" rel="noopener">wrote on X</a>, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Russell and Towns used to be teammates on the Timberwolves before he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>The NBA world was shaken before the season started when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-karl-anthony-towns-recalls-immediate-reaction-trade">Towns was traded to the New York Knicks</a> for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. So far, it looks like the move has worked out well for the Knicks, and Towns has played a big part in their success this season.</p><h2>Karl-Anthony Towns reflects on time with Timberwolves</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Karl-Anthony-Towns.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After the game, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-karl-anthony-towns-reveals-the-reality-of-minnesota-knicks-trade">Karl-Anthony Towns shared his feelings</a> about the trade months later and how he’s still surprised by it.</p><p>“There was no part of me that was willing to leave,” Towns said via The Athletic. “And life had a different path for me. I was stunned. I’m still stunned I’m in a different jersey.</p><p>“I came here early just so I could be by myself at Target Center and sit here and just soak up the energy that I know is still here from my time here. And just kind of for myself, with no Knicks personnel here, no teammates, no coaches, no nobody. Just to be able to reminisce a little bit.”</p><p>Towns saw some highs and lows with the Timberwolves since being drafted by the team, but it was towards the end of his stint that he saw the most success. Last season, they made the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. Many people thought that the Timberwolves would run it back with the same team since they were so close last season, but with the current cap situation, it’s no surprise that they made the move to send Towns to the Knicks.</p><p>Towns and Anthony Edwards also had a great relationship and worked well as a duo on the Timberwolves, so it was tough to see them have to separate.</p><p>At the end of the day, the league is a business, and things like this could happen to anybody. For Towns, it’s good that he was sent to a great situation and he’s fitting in well with the Knicks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

D’Angelo Russell shouts out Karl-Anthony Towns after dominant Timberwolves’ return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-magic-johnson-wants-everybody-know-he-tried-smoothie-honoring-dangelo-russell');   ga('set', 'title', 'Magic Johnson wants everybody to know he tried a smoothie honoring D’Angelo Russell');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Lakers-news-Magic-Johnson-wants-everybody-to-know-he-tried-a-smoothie-honoring-DAngelo-Russell.jpg"></figure><h1>Magic Johnson wants everybody to know he tried a smoothie honoring D’Angelo Russell</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-15T23:03:50-08:00">December 15th, 11:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-15T23:03:50-08:00">December 15th, 11:03pm</time><address><a>Michael Aaron Gomez</a>Michael Aaron Gomez is a creative writer and longtime NBA fan. He has been a fan of the Lakers since the three-peat but believes LeBron James is the greatest player of all time.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Since the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers have stood pat as their rivals have upgraded their rosters. For instance, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-warriors-serious-pursuit-dennis-schroder-trade-with-nets">Golden State Warriors acquired former Laker Dennis Schroder</a> on Sunday to boost their defense at the guard position and help take some of the scoring load off Stephen Curry. While LA has enough scorers around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the team still needs to fill some pressing needs, particularly defense and rebounding. In other news, Lakers legend Magic Johnson <a href="https://x.com/MagicJohnson/status/1868348393049010648" rel="noopener">did shout out</a> point guard D’Angelo Russell in a recent post about a smoothie.</p><p>“I was at Erewhon this morning and picked up their new smoothie honoring Laker D’Angelo Russell!” Magic Johnson posted on X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2><b>What should the Lakers do with D’Lo?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DAngelo-Russell-contesting-a-shot.jpg"><figcaption>© Matt Blewett-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Now, Magic’s latest post could mean many things. It might be a harmless shoutout to D’Angelo Russell, the centerpiece in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-jazz-timberwolves-complete-trade-involving-russell-westbrook-dangelo-russell">blockbuster 2023 trade that sent Russell Westbrook away</a> and helped the Purple and Gold jet from a 2-10 start to the Western Conference Finals.</p><p>On the other hand, though, it might be Magic sending D’Lo the “kiss of death,” <a href="https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/news-kiss-death-nba-fans-roast-magic-johnson-promoting-d-angelo-russell-smoothie-air-jordan-gear" rel="noopener">a subtle hint</a> that the front office is nearing a deal to send the point guard to another team.</p><p>Moreover, the two point guards have had some beef before, as Magic questioned Russell’s leadership ability during his first stint with the Lakers in 2017. Meanwhile, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-magic-johnson-fires-strong-message-at-la-gm-rob-pelinka">Magic had fallen out with Rob Pelinka</a> during their power struggle to succeed as the Lakers’ new GM, though winning the 2020 championship seemed to have mended fences.</p><p>At this point, too, D’Lo may have already overstayed his welcome with the Lakers.</p><p>While Russell is a skilled point guard who can shoot and run offense, his inconsistency on offense and a lack of defense made him a less valuable playoff performer than, say, Mike Conley, whose veteran experience and skill provided stability to the Wolves en route to their first Conference Finals appearance since 2004.</p><h2><b>What’s next?</b></h2><p>His spotty playoff performance was already in full display in the 2023 postseason, and it became even more obvious in the Lakers’ first-round flameout against the Denver Nuggets in 2024.</p><p>Throughout his career, LeBron James has gained a reputation for pulling strings with front offices to get the players he wants, and D’Lo’s second stint with the Lakers may be numbered.</p><p>For instance, new Lakers coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-honest-dangelo-russell-benching">JJ Redick has benched D’Angelo Russell</a> for poor play, and the coach may have also recognized the redundancy of his skillset with Austin Reaves, who has better chemistry with Bron and AD and who can run the offense as a natural point guard.</p><p>Moreover, Reaves is taller and younger, and he can manufacture points by going to the free throw line reliably. At this point, D’Lo doesn’t fill a need for the Lakers, hence reports hinting that they’re looking for big men and athletic two-way wings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Magic Johnson wants everybody to know he tried a smoothie honoring D’Angelo Russell

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-injury-status-revenge-game-vs-timberwolves');   ga('set', 'title', 'D’Angelo Russell’s injury status for revenge game vs. Timberwolves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Lakers-news-DAngelo-Russells-injury-status-for-revenge-game-vs.-Timberwolves.jpg"></figure><h1>D’Angelo Russell’s injury status for revenge game vs. Timberwolves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-02T13:58:52-08:00">December 2nd, 1:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-02T14:02:50-08:00">December 2nd, 2:02pm</time><address><a>Matt De Lima</a>Matt De Lima is an Associate Editor for NFL and college football at ClutchPoints. He has been covering sports for over 12 years at sites like Sports Illustrated, The Game Day, and countless others. Born and raised in California, he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and a diehard Hokies fan who now resides in southern Maryland.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Sunday, illness kept point guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-austin-reaves-la-injury-report">D’Angelo Russell out</a> for the Los Angeles Lakers. For LA’s next contest, a road matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Russell <a href="https://ak-static.cms.nba.com/referee/injury/Injury-Report_2024-12-02_02PM.pdf" rel="noopener">will likely play</a> given his probable injury designation, per the NBA’s official injury report.</p><p>The Lakers are heading into the second game of a four-game road trip, having lost four of their last six. The losses came against the Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder. The two wins came against the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. Now 12-8, the Lakers must get on track in December, with six of their next eight games on the road.</p><p>After beginning his career with the Lakers in 2015-16 as the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Russell ended up in Minnesota for about four seasons, from 2019-20 to 2022-23.</p><h2><b>Lakers hoping for even more offense from rookie Dalton Knecht</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Lakers-DAngelo-Russell-on-the-court-vs-the-Suns.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Knecht, the Lakers 2024 first-round pick, had a monster game against the Utah Jazz on November 19. He scored 37 points and went 9-for-12 on threes. Those nine three-pointers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dalton-knecht-nba-record-nuclear-half-jazz">tied an NBA record</a> for the most threes made by a rookie in a single game.</p><p>The rookie has seen his numbers jump quite a bit over the last month. In a handful of October games, he averaged 16.6 minutes per game. His minutes jumped to 26.4 per game in November. Knecht played 28 or more minutes in seven of his last eight games.</p><p>The 23-year-old certainly isn’t lacking confidence. Last month, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dalton-knechts-subtle-warning-rest-of-nba">Knecht told media</a> that he is more than just a three-point shooter.</p><p>“I think that’s always been a part of my game. I don’t think I’m just a three-point shooter. I think I’m a three-level scorer,” Knecht said. “I showed that throughout college that I got a midrange, I could do floaters, go in the paint, dunk on somebody or finish over the top of them. I think teams are just starting to realize that I could really shoot the ball from catch and shoot, and now I’m just showing them what I can also do.</p><p>“I feel like I get a lot of good looks. I think to be honest, every time I shoot the ball is a good look,” Knecht said. “My teammates will be looking for me all the team and JJ will be calling plays. . .it’s just executing.”</p><p>The Lakers will need the rookie to continue to grow to relieve pressure on Anthony Davis and LeBron James especially since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-maintains-championship-mindset-with-lebron-james">Davis and James expect so much</a> this season.</p><p>“Right now, we’re in control of our own destiny since we’re sitting in the [sixth] seed, so we’ve just got to continue to do what we do,” Davis said. “[LeBron and I] definitely want to win another championship. I want to win another championship. I want a parade. I want to experience that. I know [LeBron] wants to. I know some guys on our team want to win their first one.”</p><p>The Lakers are in Minnesota to play the Timberwolves at 8:00 p.m. EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

D’Angelo Russell’s injury status for revenge game vs. Timberwolves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-austin-reaves-la-injury-report');   ga('set', 'title', 'D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves appear on latest Lakers’ injury report');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_1052.jpeg"></figure><h1>D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves appear on latest Lakers’ injury report</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-30T18:37:09-08:00">November 30th, 6:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-30T18:37:09-08:00">November 30th, 6:37pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the Los Angeles Lakers head out on a four-game road trip, they’re going to be a little short-handed. Backup center <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jaxson-hayes-brutal-injury-blow">Jaxson Hayes re-aggravated an ankle injury</a> and will miss the next two to three weeks. With the Lakers’ set to take on the Utah Jazz on Sunday, they could be without additional players as both D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves appeared <a href="https://x.com/Dave_Yapkowitz/status/1863022880520634491" rel="noopener">on the team’s injury report</a>.</p><p>D’Angelo Russell is listed as doubtful with an illness and Austin Reaves is listed as questionable with a left pelvic contusion on the Lakers’ injury report ahead of their game against the Jazz.</p><p>In Reaves’ case, he took a hard fall while being fouled during the Lakers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. He stayed in the game to shoot his two free-throws and then immediately came out of the game. He did not start the second half, but ultimately returned to the game albeit being clearly limited.</p><p>Russell started the second half in place of Reaves and played fairly well alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Following the Lakers’ loss, head coach JJ Redick gave an update as best he could on Reaves’ status after the fall.</p><p>“My vantage point was an airborne player, and he made a play on the ball. . .he couldn’t go in the first half. He’s tough as nails, and I thought he moved fine,” Redick said. “He wasn’t really in the flow of the game because of that, and not getting the start to the second half. . .he’ll be in some pain tomorrow and we just have to kind of assess going forward.”</p><p>If both players are sidelined, that would put a significant strain on the Lakers’ current guard rotation.</p><h2><b>Lakers’ rotation without D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves</b></h2><p>If the Lakers’ are indeed incredibly short-handed to begin their road trip against the Jazz, that means more of an opportunity for both Gabe Vincent and Max Christie. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-max-christie-major-reason-improved-play">Christie in particular has seen an uptick</a> in his play over the past week or so, and has regained a spot in the team’s rotation after briefly falling out.</p><p>In a sign that the Lakers’ might be in need of reinforcements in the backcourt, they recalled Jalen Hood-Schifino from South Bay. The second-year guard had been dealing with a hamstring issue while on assignment in the G League. He did not appear on the Lakers’ injury report ahead of their game against the Thunder, which is a sign that he is nearing a return to the active roster.</p><p>If Russell and Reaves are indeed sidelined, Vincent would be the only true point guard on the active roster. Hood-Schifino could conceivably help in that aspect if he is ready to play.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves appear on latest Lakers’ injury report

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-news-dangelo-russell-chris-paul-heated-lakers-spurs');   ga('set', 'title', 'D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul go at each other in heated Lakers-Spurs moment');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DAngelo-Russell-Chris-Paul-go-at-each-other-in-heated-Lakers-Spurs-moment.jpg"></figure><h1>D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul go at each other in heated Lakers-Spurs moment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-27T19:53:44-08:00">November 27th, 7:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-27T19:55:02-08:00">November 27th, 7:55pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tempers flared <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/spurs-news-charles-barkley-refuels-rivalry-victor-wembanyama-weight-quip">between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers</a> on Wednesday night. With the two teams locked in a close battle, Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell and Spurs point guard Chris Paul <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1861965757787132312" rel="noopener">got into it near mid-court</a> after the two exchanged hard bumps while Paul was bringing the ball up the floor.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">D'Angelo Russell and Chris Paul kept shoving each other and things got chippy between them 😳<a href="https://t.co/zR176dIIX7">pic.twitter.com/zR176dIIX7</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1861965757787132312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Paul gave Russell a bit of an elbow after catching the ball, and Russell returned the favor as Paul crossed half court. Officials separated the two and nothing more came of the situation.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-how-dangelo-russell-improved-play-impacts-lakers-trade-strategy">Russell has been adjusting to a new role with the Lakers</a> as the sixth man. Coming off the bench isn’t something Russell has done a ton since coming back to Los Angeles for hiss second stint with the team, but he was moved to the second unit after head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-honest-dangelo-russell-benching">JJ Redick was unhappy with his effort</a> and competitiveness. Since moving to the bench, Russell has played better while allowing the Lakers to have more size and lineup versatility in the front court.</p><p>Paul is still getting acclimated and trying to build a winning culture in his first season in San Antonio. At the very least, he has the Spurs playing better than last season and has given them a sense of leadership and organization that the team lacked last season when they played a lot of minutes without a true point guard on the floor.</p><p>The Lakers are trying to snap a three-game losing streak in this one. They were embarrassed by the Phoenix Suns in NBA Cup play on Tuesday night, so they’re looking to flush that result quickly and get back in the win column. Head coach JJ Redick said after that game that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-change-nba-cup-loss-suns">Lakers were considering making some changes</a> on the defensive end of the floor, and those changes paid off as the Lakers were able to pick up a 119-101 win over the Spurs to end their losing streak.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul go at each other in heated Lakers-Spurs moment

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-denied-by-lithuanian-national-team');   ga('set', 'title', 'D’Angelo Russell denied by Lithuanian national team');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DAngelo-Russell-denied-by-Lithuanian-national-team.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>D’Angelo Russell denied by Lithuanian national team</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-26T07:49:05-08:00">November 26th, 7:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-26T15:46:05-08:00">November 26th, 3:46pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-dangelo-russell-2028-olympics-creative-lithuania-twist">D’Angelo Russell’s aspirations to represent Lithuania’s national basketball team</a> have been officially declined by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF). Despite speculation about his potential involvement, the LKF clarified that no plans are in place to naturalize the veteran NBA player.</p><p>According to BasketNews, LKF President Mindaugas Balčiūnas <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-215373-lithuanian-basketball-federation-denies-dangelo-russell-naturalization.html" rel="noopener">emphasized</a> the federation’s commitment to developing homegrown talent.</p><p>“The basketball-related decisions are handled by the coaching staff, led by head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis, and the national team program manager, Linas Kleiza. Their approach is clear: we aim to achieve success using our own talent pool. This is the right path, in my opinion. However, this issue goes beyond basketball,” Balčiūnas explained.</p><p>Balčiūnas <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurobasket/1748121/lithuania-basketball-federation-rejects-reports-about-dangelo-russell-fiba/" rel="noopener">further elaborated</a> on the legal complexities involved in granting citizenship to non-Lithuanians.</p><p>“It is primarily a legal issue. The law on citizenship in Lithuania clearly defines circumstances under which a foreigner can apply for a Lithuanian passport in special cases. It can only be granted by the President of the Republic of Lithuania.</p><p>To date, there are no arguments for Russell to qualify for this exception. The LKF has not started any legal process that would allow him to play for the national team of Lithuania,” he said, per Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops.</p><h2><b>Lithuanian national team won’t naturalize Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DAngelo-Russell-1-warms-up-prior-to-the-game-against-the-Orlando-Magic.jpg"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The idea of Russell joining the Lithuanian national team reportedly gained traction following a visit by the parents of Chicago Bulls first-round pick Matas Buzelis to the Presidential Palace in Lithuania.</p><p>Russell’s partner, Laura Ivaniukas, is of Lithuanian descent, and the couple shares two children, which some speculated could serve as a potential pathway to citizenship for the Los Angeles Lakers guard.</p><p>As of now, no formal steps have been taken to initiate the naturalization process for Russell. The Lithuanian Basketball Federation has reaffirmed its stance on focusing on the nation’s existing talent pool, aligning with a strategy centered on long-term development rather than recruiting foreign players.</p><p>Meanwhile, Russell continues to play a significant role for the Los Angeles Lakers in the ongoing NBA season. He is averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while playing approximately 27.5 minutes per contest. The Lakers have achieved a solid 10-6 record, placing them fourth in the Western Conference standings.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-is-anthony-davis-playing-vs-suns-latest-nba-cup-injury-update">Lakers are set to face the Phoenix Suns</a>, who hold a 9-7 record, in their third NBA Cup matchup on Tuesday night. The game will be a critical opportunity for both teams to improve their standings in the competitive Western Conference.</p><p>At this time, Russell remains focused on his duties with the Lakers, as any prospects of joining the Lithuanian national team have been firmly dismissed.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

D’Angelo Russell denied by Lithuanian national team

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-lebron-james-dangelo-russell-give-media-cold-shoulder-after-nuggets-debacle');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell give media cold shoulder after Nuggets debacle');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Lakers-LeBron-James-DAngelo-Russell-give-media-cold-shoulder-after-Nuggets-debacle.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell give media cold shoulder after Nuggets debacle</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-24T09:34:43-08:00">November 24th, 9:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-24T09:35:43-08:00">November 24th, 9:35am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a Senior Associate Editor with ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP,  he's writing sports betting predictions for numerous sites across North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-vs-lakers-prediction-odds-pick-11-23-2024">The Los Angeles Lakers met with the Denver Nuggets on Saturday evening</a>, their first clash of the 2024-25 season. The Purple and Gold were looking to change the narrative against their West rivals after Nikola Jokic and Co. dominated them last season, both in the regular season and the playoffs.</p><p>However, that did not happen.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-austin-reaves-nsfw-admission-embarrassed-nuggets"> The Lakers played one of their worst games of the campaign</a> so far, getting blown out 127-102. A massive third quarter proved to be the difference-maker, with Denver outscoring LA 37-15. They never looked back. In fact, JJ Redick’s squad played so poorly that both LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell<a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2024-11-23/lakers-lose-in-collapse-denver-nuggets-recap" rel="noopener"> refused to speak</a> to the media postgame, per Dan Woike of The LA Times.</p><p>The Lakers took a 63-57 lead into halftime and looked like they would keep this one close, at the very least. But, everything unraveled in the second half. Los Angeles had 15 turnovers in total and LeBron coughed the rock up six times. Both James and Anthony Davis struggled offensively, combining to shoot just 13 for 36 from the field.</p><p>“I have a pretty clear idea of what happened in the third. But whatever it was, it was not because we were haunted of the ghosts of the past or something like that,” Redick said, via The LA Times. “It was kind of obvious to me what happened there. Just not the right spirit.”</p><p>It was just bad overall,” Davis said of LA’s mistakes.</p><p>AD also didn’t hold back on his poor performance:</p><p>“I just missed shots. I think all great looks,” the Lakers big man said. “It’s a miss-or-make league. I’ll make more than I’ll miss, for sure. You always wish you can make every shot. I’m confident in every shot I took. They’re shots that I normally make. All of us, to be honest. Shots that that we all normally make, we just missed. But I like every shot that I took tonight. They just didn’t go in.”</p><p>The Lakers now sit at 10-6 and will be back in action on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Cup. Figuring out how to beat the Nuggets will be important, especially if they potentially meet in the playoffs again. Playing cleaner basketball is a start.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell give media cold shoulder after Nuggets debacle

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-news-dangelo-russell-2028-olympics-creative-lithuania-twist');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA news: D’Angelo Russell’s road to 2028 Olympics comes with creative Lithuania twist');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DAngelo-Russells-road-to-2028-Olympics-comes-with-creative-Lithuania-twist-2-1.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA news: D’Angelo Russell’s road to 2028 Olympics comes with creative Lithuania twist</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-22T13:17:52-08:00">November 22nd, 1:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-22T13:17:52-08:00">November 22nd, 1:17pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell could flip his country for the 2028 Olympics with the <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/eurobasket/1746497/dangelo-russell-reportedly-interested-in-playing-for-lithuania/" rel="noopener">latest report</a> from Eurohoops.net. They said “According to the Lithuanian portal 15min.lt, D’Angelo Russell is interested in playing for the Lithuanian national team, aiming for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.”</p><p>That report also states that “he has already informed officials at the Lithuanian Basketball Federation about his intentions. Lithuania was not a random choice – his wife is Lithuanian, which should facilitate the process of obtaining citizenship.”</p><p>The news comes as a surprise since Russell wasn’t a member of the 2016, 2020, and 2024 USA Basketball Olympic teams. While Russell is a good player in his own right, making the 12-man roster for USA Basketball is extremely tough. Although one of his close friends <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/olympics-news-devin-booker-drops-epic-video-after-team-usa-gold-medal-win">Devin Booker made the team</a>, he said he was willing to take any role necessary. If Russell goes with the Lithuanian team, he’ll have a challenge ahead of him on many fronts.</p><h2><b>Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell on the Lithuanian national team could spark some interest in the 2028 Olympics</b></h2><p>Interestingly enough, a similar situation happened with USA Basketball. While Joel Embiid was a member of the team, he is also from the country of Cameroon. He <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/joel-embiid-playing-usa-france-olympics-decision-cameroon/3a4eac7e1ade219735b90da7" rel="noopener">could’ve played with his home country</a> but chose to represent the United States. His reason was geared towards winning, since the USA had the highest chance of doing so. Embiid could’ve had more of a statistical impact on his Cameroon team but chose to stay.</p><p>For Russell, a move to the Lithuanian national team could spark many changes for him. Although his wife is Lithuanian, there’s a language barrier. Also, many of the European teams have played together for years. For example, the Serbian national team has been together for almost a decade. That camaraderie is essential for Olympic play. Russell’s play style has evolved but hasn’t gotten to the European style.</p><p>The Lakers guard has a score-first approach, although he’s a solid playmaker. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-how-dangelo-russell-improved-play-impacts-lakers-trade-strategy">Russell moved to the bench for the Lakers</a> this season and has thrived. As he’s embraced the sixth-man role, his productivity has sky-rocketed. Not to mention, Russell has the talent to make the Lithuanian team. Being in an Olympic Games, regardless of whatever country, is an accomplishment in its own right.</p><p>Regardless, joining the Lithuanian team could spark a competitiveness they haven’t had before. An established NBA player could provide insight about how to beat USA Basketball. Securing a medal, and a longshot possibility of winning gold might be the main objective if Russell joins Lithuania.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA news: D’Angelo Russell’s road to 2028 Olympics comes with creative Lithuania twist

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-rumors-how-dangelo-russell-improved-play-impacts-lakers-trade-strategy');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA rumors: How D’Angelo Russell’s improved play off bench impacts Lakers’ trade strategy');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/How-DAngelo-Russells-improved-play-off-bench-impacts-Lakers-trade-strategy.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA rumors: How D’Angelo Russell’s improved play off bench impacts Lakers’ trade strategy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-19T13:35:13-08:00">November 19th, 1:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-19T13:35:13-08:00">November 19th, 1:35pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/an-inside-look-at-the-immediate-dividends-jj-redick-bringing-dangelo-russell-off-the-bench-has-brought-the-lakers">Los Angeles Lakers are facing a pivotal decision regarding guard D’Angelo Russell</a> amid ongoing trade rumors. According to Lakers senior reporter Anthony Irwin, Russell’s recent resurgence in a bench role has complicated the team’s trade considerations.</p><p>After a slow start to the season, Russell was shifted to the bench by head coach JJ Redick. The adjustment has sparked significant improvement, with the Lakers currently riding a five-game winning streak. They hold a 9-4 record, placing them third in the Western Conference standings ahead of their second NBA Cup matchup against the Utah Jazz (3-10) on Tuesday night.</p><p>Statistically, Russell’s <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/russeda01.html" rel="noopener">impact has been undeniable</a>. While his season averages of 12.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game on 40.6% shooting from the field and 32.9% from three-point range are career lows, his on-court contributions tell a different story. Irwin highlights that the Lakers are 8.2 points per 100 possessions better offensively when Russell is on the court and 12.1 points per 100 possessions worse when he’s off.</p><p>During the Lakers’ five-game win streak, these metrics have surged further. The team is 19.9 points per 100 possessions better with Russell on the floor and 5.4 points worse without him. Notably, the Lakers are scoring an impressive 128.5 points per 100 possessions during this stretch, showcasing the bench unit’s offensive firepower with Russell leading the charge.</p><h2><b>D’Angelo Russell’s resurgence off the bench complicates Lakers’ trade pursuit</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DAngelo-Russell-1-signals-a-holding-foul-against-the-Toronto-Raptors.jpg"><figcaption>© Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This newfound efficiency presents a challenge for the Lakers. Russell’s buy-in to a reduced role has elevated the team’s overall performance, raising questions about whether the front office would be willing to trade him. The team has reportedly been exploring options to add a big man to complement Anthony Davis, as ESPN’s Shams Charania recently mentioned on The Pat McAfee Show. Charania indicated the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-lakers-trade-strategy-pivotal-update">Lakers might adopt an aggressive approach</a> in pursuit of a roster upgrade.</p><p>Russell’s current role has sparked debate within the organization. While his individual numbers have dipped, his overall contributions to the Lakers’ success in a bench role may make it difficult to part ways with him, even for a potential upgrade in the frontcourt. Balancing the desire to improve their roster with the risk of disrupting their newfound chemistry could influence the team’s strategy as the season progresses.</p><p>The Los Angeles Lakers’ decision-making will likely hinge on Russell’s ability to sustain this level of play and whether the market offers a deal compelling enough to justify the risk of altering a winning formula. For now, Russell’s resurgence has made him a central figure in the Lakers’ evolving trade strategy.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA rumors: How D’Angelo Russell’s improved play off bench impacts Lakers’ trade strategy

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/an-inside-look-at-the-immediate-dividends-jj-redick-bringing-dangelo-russell-off-the-bench-has-brought-the-lakers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Inside look at immediate dividends JJ Redick bringing D’Angelo Russell off bench has brought Lakers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/An-inside-look-at-the-immediate-dividends-JJ-Redick-bringing-DAngelo-Russell-off-the-bench-has-brought-the-Lakers.jpg"></figure><h1>Inside look at immediate dividends JJ Redick bringing D’Angelo Russell off bench has brought Lakers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-18T14:15:40-08:00">November 18th, 2:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-19T11:14:48-08:00">November 19th, 11:14am</time><address><a>Anthony Irwin</a>Anthony Irwin has been covering the Lakers in some capacity for roughly a decade at outlets such as Locked on Lakers, Silver Screen &amp; Roll and Forum Blue &amp; Gold. He currently podcasts about the team on The Lakers Lounge and the NBA in general on Basketball Passport. He looks forward to continuing his reporting for ClutchPoints after entering the rumor foray over the last couple years.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>SAN ANTONIO, TX – Basketball is far too nuanced a sport to isolate the reason for a run down to any one factor, but it is becoming rather difficult to ignore the run the Los Angeles Lakers have been on since JJ Redick moved D’Angelo Russell to the bench. The decision came after months of planning and ample communication, and when good process is rewarded with success, it begets more focus on process.</p><p>Russell deserves credit for accepting this role and, more importantly, thriving in it. Sources do say there was a little consternation, but nothing more than is to be expected when a player who has started his whole life is asked to do something so different, especially coming off the season he he had last year.</p><p>Following a 120-115 win over the San Antonio Spurs, Anthony Davis was asked about the success <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-first-career-technical-head-coach-pelicans-game">the Lakers have enjoyed</a> since Russell’s move to the bench. He credited Russell for his approach to the change, as well as other teammates who have seen their roles change due to injuries, rotation choices, or any other reason.</p><p>“It’s about everyone trusting the process, accepting their roles,” he told reporters. “You know, D’lo didn’t have any fight-back. He’s still coming out, producing, so, obviously very professional of him. Professional of Cam (Reddish), but it just speaks volumes of our unit, how we’re together and no one cares about… if they’re starting or finishing a game. It’s like, whatever, as long as we get the win.”</p><p>Sources say many within the locker room have been thoroughly impressed by Redick’s execution of this plan and with Russell’s acceptance of this change.</p><p>Despite some shooting struggles to start the year, Russell’s <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/russeda01.html" rel="noopener">has been, statistically</a>, one of the highest impact players on the roster. This season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-pat-riley-join-kobe-bryant-legends-statue-immortalization">the Lakers are</a> 8.2 points better per 100 possessions when he’s on the court and 12.1 points per 100 worse when he’s on the bench.</p><p>During this winning streak and since he started coming off the bench, they’re 19.9(!) points per 100 better when he’s on the court, 5.4 points worse per 100 when he’s off.</p><p>Now, obviously, on such small samples sizes, you’ll see some big swings, but Russell having that kind of impact even while he’s shooting a meager 32.9% from three might indicate those impact numbers are there to stay to at least some extent, so long as he remains focused on what those units need from him.</p><p>The formula is relatively simple. Russell is a very good offensive point guard. He understands the rhythm of the sport and keeps the system running. He’s done so for nine years as a starter. In a starting group with Davis, Austin Reaves and LeBron James, those skills aren’t as needed.</p><p>Against bench units and the lesser defenses, not only are his own defensive concerns less harmful, he can help the lineups he’s leading absolutely feast.</p><p>When he’s been on the court, the Lakers are scoring 128.5 points per 100 possessions. Of the Lakers who’ve played at least 100 minutes, Russell’s on-court offensive rating is the highest. Only Dalton Knecht’s 127.6 rating comes close. When the two are on the court at the same time, the Lakers are scoring an insane 132.3 points per 100 possessions, the second highest of any combination in the NBA to have played at least 100 minutes together.</p><p>This is what it looks like when a player is put into the perfect role for him and his team. Russell’s offensive impact is maximized, his defensive concerns are addressed, and if Redick senses a waning in focus or energy, Russell is taken out of the the game.</p><h2><b>Will Lakers eventually trade D’Angelo Russell?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DAngelo-Russell-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Where things get tricky is what all this means for the Lakers’ continued intention to trade Russell. On one hand, teams around the league might have more interest now that he’s bought into this role and is thriving in it. On the other, well, it’s kind of hard to trade one of your most statistically impactful players.</p><p>In talking to sources close to the Lakers, Russell playing well in this role might make them a little more reluctant to part with him, as bench unit seriously struggled with Gabe Vincent at the helm. If this is actually who Russell can be for the rest of the season, the Lakers might get even more picky about who they’d trade him for, or would look to find a more reliable option than Vincent as part of a Russell trade.</p><p>According to sources around the league, Russell’s market beyond this season was fairly concerning. He’d already taken what he considered a pay cut two years ago, and then had to opt in to his player option this summer. Had he played out this season without any demonstrable change to his game or approach, some people around the league have wondered whether he would receive a full midlevel offer, pointing to the contracts Tyus Jones, Gary Trent Jr. and others signed over the summer.</p><p>Now, if Russell thrives in this role and is willing to accept it moving forward, sources say several more teams would be interested in signing him as a sixth man this summer.</p><p>For now, though, the focus remains on executing this plan and the others Redick has in store for the Lakers. He now has the success of this tweak to build on top of with a team that already believed in him even before this run.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Inside look at immediate dividends JJ Redick bringing D’Angelo Russell off bench has brought Lakers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nick-young-reveals-appalling-details-behind-dangelo-russell-iggy-azalea-drama');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nick Young reveals appalling details behind D’Angelo Russell, Iggy Azalea drama');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Nick-Young-reveals-appalling-details-behind-DAngelo-Russell-Iggy-Azalea-drama.jpg"></figure><h1>Nick Young reveals appalling details behind D’Angelo Russell, Iggy Azalea drama</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-13T13:30:44-08:00">November 13th, 1:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-13T13:30:44-08:00">November 13th, 1:30pm</time><address><a href="http://designsux.com">Burtland Dixon</a>As an avid enthusiast of entertainment, Burtland Dixon is a passionate individual who revels in the magic of movies, sports, music, and pop culture. Whether it's catching the latest blockbuster, watching the marquee matchup of the week, attending live concerts, or getting immersed in the world of gaming, Burtland finds joy in all forms of entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Entertainment</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, former NBA player <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nick-young-sends-hooper-warning-to-nba-stars">Nick Young</a> opened up about one of the most controversial incidents in his career: D’Angelo Russell’s secretly recorded video in 2016, which led to the end of Young’s engagement with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. The video, which showed Young admitting to infidelity, sent shockwaves through the Lakers organization and caused a major rift between the two players. Young <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/nick-young-on-why-he-didnt-beat-up-dangelo-russell-for-snitching-when-he-was-with-iggy-azalea/ar-AA1tWvux" rel="noopener">revealed that Lakers management,</a> led by then-GM Mitch Kupchak, warned him against any physical retaliation towards Russell and threatened him with fines or withheld salary if he acted out, MSN reports.</p><blockquote><b>“F***ing Mitch Kupchak and them told me, don’t come to the arena, don’t come to practice, none of that,” Young said. “If you do anything we gonna take your money.”</b></blockquote><p>Recalling the situation, Young explained the lengths the Lakers took to prevent an altercation. “They had security all around,” Young said, implying the team wasn’t taking any chances with the fallout. He felt sidelined by the team’s measures and resentful, saying, “For being recorded, I got sent home.” This decision, he added, made him feel like he was portrayed as the “bad vet,” even though he hadn’t initiated any drama.</p><p>Former NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin chimed in on the Gil’s Arena podcast, expressing disbelief that Young hadn’t retaliated. “I would have beaten him up, or he would have beaten me up,” Martin said bluntly, voicing a sentiment shared by fans who questioned why Young let the issue slide. However, Young admitted his hesitation stemmed from not wanting to get “kicked out of the league,” prioritizing his career over revenge.</p><h2>Moving On, but Questions Linger</h2><p>After the 2016-2017 season, both players exited the Lakers, with Young electing not to extend his contract and Russell being traded to the Nets. Reflecting on the ordeal, Young acknowledged that time and the team’s strict handling of the situation prevented him from confronting Russell directly. “By the time I saw him the next season, it was the end of the season,” Young said, indicating that the tension had faded by then.</p><p>Toward the end of the interview, Gil’s Arena host Gilbert Arenas posed a question that has lingered since the incident: did Russell intend for the video to go public? Initially unsure, Nick Young ultimately suggested it was likely, wondering aloud, “How else do it get out there?”</p><p>The incident left a lasting impact on Young’s reputation and relationship, while for Russell, it became a public relations nightmare. Despite the drama, the two moved on from the Lakers, but the episode remains one of the NBA’s most infamous off-court moments—an incident of betrayal that altered both their careers and Young’s personal life.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nick Young reveals appalling details behind D’Angelo Russell, Iggy Azalea drama

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-stephen-curry-influence-dangelo-russell-leadership');   ga('set', 'title', 'The Stephen Curry influence on D’Angelo Russell’s leadership');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_0963.jpeg"></figure><h1>The Stephen Curry influence on D’Angelo Russell’s leadership</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-12T16:19:20-08:00">November 12th, 4:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-12T16:19:20-08:00">November 12th, 4:19pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LOS ANGELES – Throughout Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell’s ten-year NBA career he’s played with some great players. His rookie season with the Lakers was Kobe Bryant’s final year in the NBA. He played alongside Stephen Curry during his brief stint with the Golden State Warriors. And now, his second go-round with the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell has embraced a leadership role using tools he’s picked up from those guys.</p><p>D’Angelo Russell may have been on the Warriors roster for only half a season before they traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but during his short time with Stephen Curry, he was able to pick things up that helped him develop his own leadership skills. Curry <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/latest-news/dangelo-russell-talks-about-how-he-benefited-from-playing-with-steph-curry" rel="noopener">was limited to only five games</a> that season, but that was enough to pick up valuable habits.</p><p>“I’ve just been around the block, crossed paths with a lot of players. Always pride myself in being a product of that. Crossed paths with Steph Curry, may have heard him say something and added it to my tool box and then used it in another way down the line,” Russell said following the Lakers’ win against the Raptors. “I found a way to use the same sentences and quotes I heard him say.”</p><p>“I could say that for Draymond [Green], DWade, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant], all those guys,” Russell continued. “So just being a product of that environment for sure.”</p><h2><b>D’Angelo Russell’s shifting role for Lakers</b></h2><p>Part of being a leader includes adapting to and adhering to what the coaching staff asks you to do. For <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-mindset-move-to-bench">Russell, that entailed a move to the bench</a>. Following the Lakers’ return from a five-game road trip, head coach JJ Redick opted to play Russell with the second unit while inserting Cam Reddish into the starting lineup.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-how-dangelo-russell-lakers-teammates-feel-jj-redick-lineup-change">Lakers are 2-0 since the lineup change</a>, but it’s too small a sample size to infer anything concrete yet in terms of it being a success. But through the change, he’s continued to embrace the leadership role the Lakers need from him.</p><p>Following team practice on Tuesday, Redick spoke about what he’s seen from Russell as a leader so far.</p><p>“I’ve seen him be vocal. I’ve seen him use his natural charisma and energy to give our group some juice,” Redick said. “It was a challenge I had for him from the first day he came to the gym in September. And I think he’s been wonderful in terms of that.”</p><p>Through the Lakers first ten games of the season, Russell has been averaging 12.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists with splits of 40.7 percent shooting from the field, 31.1 percent shooting from the three-point line and 90 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>His points per game and three-point percentage may be career lows, but he’s embraced the role the Lakers have asked of him. The past two games, he’s come off the bench and provided a lift for the team. He’s dropped 18 points and 15 points, respectively.</p><p>He’s given the second unit an added scoring boost that they did not have before. But his status for the Lakers’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday could be up in the air. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-absent-practice-grizzlies-status-up-in-air">Russell missed practice on Tuesday</a> due to illness.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The Stephen Curry influence on D’Angelo Russell’s leadership

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-dalton-knecht-support-jj-redick-dangelo-russell-amid-shooting-slump');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Dalton Knecht gets support from JJ Redick, D’Angelo Russell amid shooting slump');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Lakers-news-Dalton-Knecht-gets-support-from-JJ-Redick-DAngelo-Russell-amid-shooting-slump.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ Dalton Knecht gets support from JJ Redick, D’Angelo Russell amid shooting slump</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-12T14:40:03-08:00">November 12th, 2:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-12T14:40:03-08:00">November 12th, 2:40pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-lebron-james-breaks-own-nba-record-eye-popping-feat-vs-raptors">LeBron James continues to defy father time</a> with his excellent play, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-anthony-davis-exits-raptors-game-with-eye-injury">Los Angeles Lakers have had to deal with some injuries</a> and lineup changes as of late, falling back down to earth after their hot start and currently sitting at 6-4. After a standout preseason performance, Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht has struggled with his shot thus far in the regular season, averaging just 6 points per game on under 40 percent shooting from the field and under 30 percent from beyond the three point line, which is considered his specialty.</p><p>Still, both head coach JJ Redick and point guard D’Angelo Russell seem to have all the confidence in the world that the former Tennessee Volunteers star will be able to figure things out <a href="https://lakersnation.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-dangelo-russell-remain-confident-in-dalton-knecht/" rel="noopener">sooner rather than later</a>, per Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation.</p><p>“To me, he’s gotten some really good looks both organically and when we’ve run sets for him. I am undeterred in my thinking that he is a tier one, top one percent shooter,” said Redick. “I see it almost every day. Sometimes you go through stuff and because I played 15 years, it’s always hard for me early in the season if I initially didn’t get off to a good start shooting 3s. It became more than it was and I just started focusing on the long term and just believing that the law of averages would work out, there would be regression to the mean and I’d end up being a 40% 3-point shooter.”</p><p>Russell echoed a similar sentiment.</p><p>“Every young player in the league wants it right away,” Russell said. “The Basketball Gods have a funny way of disguising those blessings. So for him, just know that your time is coming and just be ready. I think he’ll be ready when his time comes.”</p><h2><b>Can the Lakers compete this season?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Redick-coaches_dd4b6c.jpg"><figcaption>Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Lakers have already shown tangible improvement in terms of their offensive schematics over last year, when Darvin Ham was their head coach. However, in 2023-24, Los Angeles had the good fortune of some remarkable injury luck, particularly regarding LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which may not be a safe bet to occur two years in a row.</p><p>While Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell are nice complementary pieces, it’s unclear whether the Lakers have enough firepower around their star duo to truly compete in an increasingly stacked Western Conference.</p><p>The Lakers are next set to take the floor on Wednesday evening at home vs the Memphis Grizzlies.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Dalton Knecht gets support from JJ Redick, D’Angelo Russell amid shooting slump

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-dangelo-russell-absent-practice-grizzlies-status-up-in-air');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell absent from practice, status vs. Grizzlies up in the air');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DAngelo-Russell-absent-from-practice-status-vs.-Grizzlies-up-in-the-air.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell absent from practice, status vs. Grizzlies up in the air</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-12T13:54:03-08:00">November 12th, 1:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-12T15:40:41-08:00">November 12th, 3:40pm</time><address><a>Christopher Smith</a>Christopher Smith is an associate editor covering a variety of sports with a beat focus on the Chicago Sky for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University, where he also competed as a Division 1 Cross Country runner.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Memphis Grizzlies in an important interconference matchup on Wednesday. However, LA may be short-handed, given an injury update on D’Angelo Russell.</p><p>Russell <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1856443238975951242" rel="noopener">did not participate</a> in practice on Tuesday because of an illness, the Lakers communicated, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Thus, it is unclear whether Russell will be available for the team’s matchup against Memphis. Hopefully, he will have a speedy recovery and get back on the court soon.</p><p>Through his first 10 games of the 2024-25 season, Russell has averaged 12.9 points and 5.0 assists on a 31.9 percent three-point-shooting mark, all of which are his lowest since his second year in the league, which was the 2016-17 campaign. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-explains-why-dangelo-russell-is-coming-off-bench">JJ Redick and the Lakers elected to bring Russell off the bench</a> in hopes of finding a more productive role for him.</p><p>The Lakers have won two games in a row since the move, so it seems the decision was the right one. ClutchPoints’ Senior Lakers Insider Anthony Irwin provided additional insight into how the decision has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sources-how-dangelo-russell-lakers-teammates-feel-jj-redick-lineup-change">impacted Russell’s teammates and could further impact himself:</a></p><p>“Sources say the players were somewhat surprised Redick went away from Russell as quickly as he did, but through improved communication, Redick has been able to maintain better buy-in. It also helped that he did give that group a shot from the onset of the season.</p><p>“Some internally are still concerned about how Russell will handle this over time, which makes it all the more important the Lakers keep winning as they figure out this new approach,” Irwin wrote on Nov. 11.</p><p>The Lakers’ changes with D’Angelo Russell could pay off and get them over the hump, but they still need the offensive-minded guard to be at full strength and injury-free for the team to thrive. It will be interesting to see how the Lakers look in their next contest with the Grizzlies on Wednesday with what will hopefully be a mostly healthy team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.5	2.8	4.7	0.1	0.8

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
12.5	2.8	4.7	0.1	0.8

D'Angelo Russell news

D'Angelo
Russell news