The Los Angeles Lakers’ season ended in rough fashion when they lost in the first round of the playoffs, 4-1, to the Denver Nuggets. What made that series loss more painful was the fact they held sizable leads in each contest.
After L.A. lost its advantage in Game 5 on Monday, it fought hard down the stretch, only to get buried by Jamal Murray’s second game-winning shot of the series.
It was another difficult series for D’Angelo Russell, who played very poorly in last year’s Western Conference finals, when the Lakers were swept by Denver, and shot just 38.4% from the field this time around.
On Saturday, the NBA fined him for verbally abusing one of the referees who worked Game 5.
Via ESPN:
“The NBA fined Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell $25,000 on Saturday for verbally abusing a game official.
“His actions occurred on the court after the Lakers’ season-ending Game 5 loss at Denver on Monday night, the league said.”
This will be a big summer for Russell. He can opt out of his contract and become a free agent. Even if he doesn’t, he will surely see and hear his name come up in at least one trade rumor once again.