Has the birth of Riley and your flow state of mind helped you the past two years? Last year, I was talking to my brother, Tone, and I’m shooting the best numbers I’ve ever shot, and it’s like no one talks about that. That’s what you work towards. People are so analytical nowadays. You work to get to that. Then, I got to it, and it didn’t seem like it was valued. I was like, “Dang, I feel like I could shoot better than that.” This year, I’m shooting career highs again. I’m like, maybe that is tied to the birth of Riley and being a dad. I put the work in. When I broke the record (Lakers single-season 3-pointers made), a lot of my closest people texted me with super sincere messages, and they all had the same common denominator saying, “You put the work in.” That made me smile even more because people around me know how hard I work and how I approach the game. -via HoopsHype / March 28, 2024

How are LeBron James and Kobe Bryant similar and different from your experiences with both? D’Angelo Russell: I played with Kobe on his way out, and I’m playing with LeBron, who I still think is at the tip of his prime. Not his prime, but you get better the older you get in some cases. I feel like he’s still getting better in the sense of having to do more with less athleticism, obviously. It shows every aspect of his game, his shooting and post game. I got Kobe on the way out. The language he spoke was foreign to me at that time. I couldn’t relate to a lot of stuff that he was saying, but he would always talk to me about it as if I knew. The older I got, the stuff would click, and I’d say, “Dang, I remember him saying that.” Growing up a fan of LeBron, I was always searching for wisdom from him, asking him questions and trying to pick his brain on how I could be better. That’s how I was with Kobe. I wasn’t shy to ask questions ever. I always gravitated towards the ones people were scared to ask those questions. They both gave me very detailed orientated answers that allowed me to get better. When I was here earlier, we weren’t winning games. Now I’m here playing with LeBron, and we’re trying to win games. That’s a completely different thing on its own. -via HoopsHype / March 28, 2024

How would you describe this Lakers season? D’Angelo Russell: I think we’re much better than our record. We match up, adjust, and do all these different things in the flow of the game. The problem is we’ve got 12 different guys that can be out there. When that random group of five is out there, the familiarity with what we’re trying to do is on the fly. A lot of teams have five or six guys that know they’re always going to have an idea who’s going to be in and where’s this and that. We’ve got a new guy every game because there’s no telling who’s going to be out there because of injuries and other things. It’s a good problem to have. I think that’s why we utilize 82 games a year to prepare for the postseason. So I definitely think we’re better than our record, and we’re still trying to figure it out and hitting our stride. I like where we’re at. -via HoopsHype / March 28, 2024

Jovan Buha: Darvin Ham was asked if he wishes he went to this current starting lineup of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell earlier in the season given Rui’s success as a starter. Here’s his response: pic.twitter.com/zLQqfaddhq -via Twitter @jovanbuha / March 28, 2024

StatMuse: Austin Reaves tonight: 29 PTS (9 points in OT) 14 REB 10 AST (1 TOV) Joins LeBron as the only Lakers to reach those numbers with under 2 turnovers in the 21st century. statmuse.com/nba/player/aus… -via Twitter @statmuse / March 26, 2024

Jovan Buha: Final: Lakers 128, Bucks 124 (2OT) One of LA’s best wins of the season. They improve to 40-32 and 6-4 w/o LeBron this season. AD had 34 points and 23 rebounds. AR had 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. DLo had 29 points and 12 assists. Up next: at MEM tomorrow. -via Twitter @jovanbuha / March 26, 2024