After monopolizing the No. 1 in team history, he broke the record with 7 three-pointers! I'm sorry Zhan Mei, I'm afraid the Lakers won't be able to keep him
After more than 5 months of competition, this season's regular season officially entered the sprint stage, compared with last season, this season with the Rockets, Timberwolves, Thunder and other young players growing rapidly, the competition for the Western rankings has become more stalemate, especially in the play-off divisions, almost a game can determine the ranking of multiple teams, fortunately, the Lakers after serious injury troubles in the middle of the season, gradually welcomed back the injured at the end of the season, and won successive victories are expected to return to the top eight.
In this case, the Lakers continued their road trip to Toronto to challenge the Raptors, who were on a 13-game losing streak before the game, and many others were absent in this game, such as Barnes, Poeltl, Boucher and Trent Jr.
The two teams played back and forth in the first half, and the Lakers only led by 6 points at halftime, and after returning from the second half, the Lakers suddenly made a strong effort and stretched the difference to more than 20 points in one go.
In the final quarter, the Lakers did not give the Raptors a chance, and the game lost suspense early, and finally the Lakers gave the Raptors 128-111 a 14-game losing streak.
After beating the Raptors, the Lakers won a valuable second straight game and the team's seventh win in the last eight games.
The team's record improved to 43-33, two games ahead of the Warriors behind them, just one win away from the Kings in front of them, and only 1.5 wins behind the Suns.
With six games left in the regular season, the Lakers are basically sitting in a state of 9 and looking at 8, and considering that the remaining schedule between the Kings and the Suns is full, the Lakers may even improve to 7th place.
It is worth mentioning that the Lakers' 43 wins have equaled last season's total wins (43-39) and exceeded the 50% win rate by 10 games for the first time since 2021.
For the Lakers to have such a performance, the stable performance and super high attendance rate of Zhan Mei duo this season are undoubtedly the key.
James only played 28 minutes and 47 seconds in this game, shooting 10 of 12, easily handing over 23 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists, with a plus/minus of +13.
Brother Thick Eyebrows also performed well, easily playing 27 and a half minutes, shooting 10 of 20, getting a double-double of 21 points, 12 rebounds and 1 assist, plus or minus +14.
Despite five turnovers, as the core of the defense, the thick eyebrows were full of impact, and most importantly, he finally increased his aggression and willingness to shoot on the offensive end.
In addition to the two cores, Russell, the three-in-command, also remarkable, played 32 minutes in the game, shot 9 of 17, 7 of 14 three-point shots, and efficiently delivered 25 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists, including 4 of 7 in the final quarter and 11 points.
After hitting seven three-pointers in this game, Russell once again broke the Lakers' all-time record for three-pointers.
The game was the sixth time in Russell's Lakers career that he hit seven three-pointers in a single game, moving him to third in franchise history (tied with Nick Van Exel) behind James (eight) and Kobe Bryant (12).
This is not the first time Russell has broken the Lakers' all-time three-point record this season, as early as mid-March, Russell hit his 183rd three-pointer of the season against the Hawks, surpassing Kobe Bryant and tying Nick Van Exel for the most three-point shooting in Lakers history.
At present, Russell has hit more than 200 three-pointers in a single season, far behind Nick Van Exel, and occupies the first place in Lakers history.
Despite Russell's outstanding performance this season, before the mid-season trade deadline, Russell was still used as a bargaining chip by the Lakers to offer Murray, LaVine and other players, because the Lakers have always disliked Russell's lack of defensive ability.
As a result, after the trade deadline, Russell exploded, and the Lakers also transitioned from a defensive team to an offensive team, and in the past 10 games, the Lakers' starters have averaged 103.4 points per game, which has allowed the team's record to continue to improve.
Considering that the Lakers only signed Russell to a two-year, $37 million contract extension in the offseason, the second year is a player option.
Not surprisingly, Russell will jump out of his contract in the offseason to seek a big contract, and according to the Lakers' current salary allocation, there is a high probability that he will not be able to keep him, and it is very likely that a trade will be completed around him again.
It's just that, compared to the mid-season trade, this time it's not that the Lakers don't want Russell, it's that the Lakers can't keep Russell.