D'Angelo Russell Stats Tonight: Nets guard blows ultimate chance to prove Lakers wrong after missing game winner (Jan. 17)

D'Angelo Russell returned to LA as a Brooklyn Net for the first time, facing his former team, the Lakers, on Friday. Russell was traded for Dorian Finney-Smith in December, ending his second stint with the Purple and Gold. Russell was critical to the team's turnaround in 2022-23.

Russell was also one of the team's best shooters and playmakers. However, because of positional fit and his $18 million salary, the Lakers preferred moving him in search of wing depth, which they needed more because of their mediocre defense.

While Russell reiterated that he has no hard feelings regarding the trade, he didn't let that affect his aggression on Friday. The former All-Star entered the game in the first quarter off the bench and logged in seven minutes.

He had a team-high six attempts from the floor in that stretch. Russell scored five points, made two assists and had a rebound before heading back to the bench. He shot 2 of 6, including 1 of 3 from deep.

Russell returned for his second shift in the first half, playing four more minutes. He added two more points and a rebound. Russell finished the half with 11:43 minutes of action, tallying seven points, two rebounds and three assists, shooting 3 of 7, including 1 of 3.

D'Angelo Russell had an even more productive second half. The Nets guard scored 12 points in that span, making 4 of 8 shots, all from long range. Russell added four rebounds and five assists, too. He had the ultimate shot to get back at his former team for trading him with a game-winner, but Russell missed the go-ahead 3 with three seconds left.

The Lakers won 102-101. Russell missed the final shot but was the main reason behind the Nets keeping this a close affair. He finished with 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists on 7 of 15 shots, including 5 of 10 from 3.