Watch: D'Angelo Russell gets booed by Lakers fans in Game 3 loss
D'Angelo Russell's worst nightmare is coming true.
A year after the Lakers guard stunk up the joint in the Western Conference Finals, Russell is once again struggling to make his presence felt against the Nuggets.
During Thursday's Game 3 loss, Russell went scoreless as the Nuggets claimed a 3-0 series lead.
Fans at the Crypto.com Arena had seen this movie before. They had seen Russell melt down in pressure moments of the playoffs. It's why they showered the guard with thunderous boos in the fourth quarter until coach Darvin Ham pulled him from the lineup.
The frustration seemingly took a toll on Russell, who refused to join his teammates in a huddle during a timeout in the final period. Russell was spotted scrolling his phone while seated far away from his teammates. The clip got some on social media to joke that he was busy booking flight tickets to Cancun.
Russell has shot 32.6 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range in the three games thus far against the Nuggets. Those numbers are drastically down from his healthy .456/.415/.828 splits in the regular season.
The Ohio State alum has a player option worth $18.7 million for the 2024-25 season, which he's widely expected to opt out of to pursue a new long-term contract. Before the playoffs, Austin Reaves explained he'd love to see Russell, his best friend on the team, remain on the Lakers next year.
At this point, that decision is probably not Reaves' or Russell's to make.
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