Lakers News: Darvin Ham Talks D'Angelo Russell's Disappointing Game 1 Vs Nuggets

Russell was once again absent against Denver.

Apr 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham looks on against / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

It's the same old song and dance, folks. For anyone who thought it was going to be any different, well, it seems like we're going to have to wait for it. Don't hold your breath, though.

The Los Angeles Lakers are down 0-1 in the Western Conference Playoffs' first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. Saturday marked the ninth time in a row the Lakers have lost to the Nuggets.

It was Dejavu, literally. The same thing transpired as it had the previous eight times. The Lakers look good, to begin with; it seems like they have control. The second half rolls around, and the Nuggets start to play their brand of basketball, which seems too much to handle for LA. The Nuggets take the lead, the Lakers make a fake comeback, and the Nuggets take the game.

Same story, different day.

When I say the same story, I literally mean the same story, including the D'Angelo Russell part. Russell can't seem to hang with the Nuggets. It was another abysmal performance by the veteran guard, and his poor play resulted in the loss once again. After the game, head coach Darvin Ham spoke to the media, including The Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike, who said shooters like D-Lo will have off nights like this.

"D-Lo is a huge reason why we're here in the first place," coach Darvin Ham said. "I'm not going to bail out on my player just because he's missing the shots that he normally makes. So, same shots were going in against New Orleans and other games that he's played in to help us get to this point. So, it just wasn't his night. Shooters are going to have nights like that. But I want him to remain aggressive. That was a good thing, I saw him being aggressive."

Except this has nothing to do with his shooting alone; these types of performances happen when he sees the Nuggets across from him. In the last seven games against the Nuggets, Russell has averaged 9.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.6 rebounds. All of those numbers are way below his averages, and Game 1 was a lot like that. In 41 minutes, Russell scored 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. However, he shot 30% from the field and a horrendous 11.1% from the three-point line, making just one of his nine three-point attempts.

Russell missed easy layups and shots that he usually makes from three and inside the arc. This matchup seems like a nightmare for Russell, and we've seen it time and time again. Game 2 will bring new opportunities, and we'll see if he can avenge his own demons on Monday night.

Don't bet on it, though.

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