The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Lakers 138-122 on January 30 thanks to three consecutive jump shots from Dejounte Murray, who demonstrated why the Lakers have been pursuing him.
Murray finished with eleven of his nineteenth shots for 24 points, one assist short of a double-double. The former All-Star guard demonstrated his two-way impact, which the Lakers sorely need, by adding two steals and finishing with a game-high plus-19.
Russell, on the other hand, had difficulty against Murray and the Hawks. This was the Lakers guard’s lowest scoring performance in 13 games in January, as he only made 3 of 11 shots for 9 points.
Before facing Murray on Tuesday night, Russell was averaging 27.0 points, 6.2 assists, and a 51.2% field goal and 50% three-point shooting percentage. His worst performance since rejoining the Lakers’ starting lineup came at the wrong time.
Russell may have become mentally ill due to the taunts from the Hawks supporters.
As Russell was shooting free throws in the first half, Hawks fans chanted, “We don’t want you!”
Lakers’ Additional Trading Choices
In addition to Murray, the Lakers are thinking about making a few other minor trades in the absence of stars who could drastically alter the game.
Three Brooklyn Nets players are reportedly of interest to the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
According to what I’ve been told Dejounte Murray will remain the Lakers’ top target. Talks should pick back up before the deadline on Thursday of next week. Three Nets players—Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Royce O’Neale—are another situation to watch out for. The Lakers are reportedly interested in these players, according to Charania, who made this statement on the January 31 episode of FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back.”
Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times claims that the Lakers have been interested in O’Neale since the draft last year.
