D’Angelo Russell is off to a fantastic start with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves can thank him for continued contributions even though they dealt him to L.A. to acquire Mike Conley from the Utah Jazz.
Russell scored 21 points and dished out seven assists to help lead the Lakers over the New Orleans Pelicans 120-102 Wednesday night. How did he help his former team? The loss drops the Pelicans to 30-29 this season, a half-game behind the 31-29 Timberwolves.
Every game is big in the muddied Western Conference playoff race. Entering play Thursday, just four games separate the third-place Sacramento Kings from the 12th-place Portland Trail Blazers – and there are eight teams shoulder-to-shoulder between third and 12th.
There are two games of note in the Western Conference Thursday night: Minnesota hosts Washington and the Suns host the Clippers. If the Wolves win and the Clippers lose, Minnesota will be tied with the Clippers for fifth place at the All-Star break. D’Lo deserves a small pat on the back for the assist.
Russell and the Lakers are two games out of 10th and just 3.5 games behind Minnesota. It’s tight, but Wolves fans should be rooting for Russell and L.A. because the Lakers return from the All-Star layoff with games against the Warriors, Mavericks, Grizzlies and Thunder – all teams that are a threat to Minnesota’s playoff positioning.
And then March 3 should be an all-timer in terms of interest because the Lakers visit Minneapolis for a game that will not only be key in the standings but also the return of Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, who joined LeBron James and Anthony Davis in L.A.’s starting five Wednesday night.
It’s like Minneapolis Lakers II.
Just imagine how epic it could be if Karl-Anthony Towns available for that game.
Oh, the drama!
