D’Angelo Russell had one of those “Am I reading that right?” stat lines on Wednesday night.
The Los Angeles Lakers point guard led his team to a 133-107 victory over the young Detroit Pistons by scoring 35 points on 13 of 17 field goals (5 of 7 from three), dishing out nine assists, and—perhaps most surprisingly—possessing two blocks.
Anthony Davis finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, while LeBron James finished with 25 points and eight rebounds. Cade Cunningham of Detroit took the lead with 15 points and five assists.
James also received a technical penalty for failing during the game, which would have placated his detractors and made for a funny scene given his previous encounters with Isaiah Stewart:But this was the DLo Show, and while some viewers and pundits laughed at jokes about how Russell only performed well against weaker teams, most of them gave him credit for an excellent shooting and play-making performance:
Russell’s reputation as a hot-and-cold player was aided by his dreadful performance in the Western Conference Finals the previous season (6.3 PPG, 32.3 percent from the field, and 13.3 percent from three).
But his excellent play this year has validated the Lakers’ decision to re-sign him this summer for a $36 million, two-year contract (which includes a player option for the following season). Despite the belief of some in Laker Land that Austin Reaves would rank third on the team behind James and AD, he entered the game as the club’s second-best facilitator (6.2 APG) and third-highest scorer (16.7 PPG).
After what they witnessed on Wednesday night, the Lakers (11-8) will need a much better Russell than the one they saw against the Denver Nuggets in May. However, most teams will fight harder than the 2-16 Pistons.