Ham gave the keys to Russell to close things out on Friday.

Friday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks was a must-win. I know we’ve been saying that every game is a must-win for the last month or so, but it’s true. The Bucks’ game was so different, and luckily, they had guard D’Angelo Russell to save their butts.

Russell looked as good as he ever had while donning the purple and gold. The 28-year-old had the game of his life and the quarter of his life, specifically the fourth quarter. The Lakers rode on Russell’s coat tail all game long, especially in the fourth. He couldn’t be stopped, resulting in the LA coming out on top.

Without Russell, the Lakers had no shot in winning this game. He played brilliantly and could give partial credit to Laker head coach Darvin Ham. In the post-game interview, coach Ham said he had told Russell to stay aggressive early on in the game.
 “He’s kept his word when I told him to takeover the game.”

^{—Darvin Ham, via Spectrum SportsNet}

We won’t give Ham credit for Russell’s performance, not even slightly, so we’ll say whatever you say, coach.

Russell couldn’t do anything wrong. He scored a season-high 44 points on 17-for-25 shooting from the field, with nine assists and six rebounds.

Ham and Russell haven’t had the best relationship, as Russell has thrown slight jabs at his head coach. The jabs are warranted, as Ham often doesn’t make the right decision, whether that has to do with lineup changes or other key rotational decisions.

Nonetheless, none of that mattered against the Bucks. The Lakers needed the win by all means, and Russell’s heroics were much needed. He’s been great for the last month and a half, and we hope he can keep it up for the remainder of the season and beyond.