“Him over Curry” - Lakers fans in awe of D’Angelo Russell after his heroic statline in eventual loss vs Knicks

D'Angelo Russell continued to shoot the lights out in his second game back from injury during the LA Lakers' 112-108 loss to the New York Knicks. Russell shot 5-of-5 in the fourth quarter of LA's last game against the Raptors, which ended in a 122-112 win.

D-Lo went off for 11 points in the first quarter alone against the Knicks, on 100% shooting. He finished with 23 by halftime, making 9-of-10 FGs and 4-of-5 3-pointers.

However, the Lakers couldn't prevail. Anthony Davis struggled, while the role players weren't as efficient either. Russell had 33 points overall, with five rebounds and eight assists, shooting 68.4%, including six triples.

The Lakers faithful were infuriated by the loss but gave D'Angelo Russell his flowers. One fan wrote on Twitter:

"I’m taking him over curry on my life"

More reactions followed:

Lakers' D'Angelo Russell claims loss against New York Knicks "hurt"

D'Angelo Russell did all he could to help the LA Lakers extend their winning streak to four games and lead them to a .500 record for the first time since January 2022. However, the New York Knicks outclassed the Lakers down the stretch.

Russell struggled, too, scoring only two points on 1-of-5 shooting in the fourth quarter as New York tightened things up defensively. The Lakers went cold from deep and the free-throw line in the later stages. LA missed all their five 3-point attempts in the final 12 minutes and three free-throws, which could've been decisive.

Here's what D-Lo said after the loss (via Lakers Nation):

"That one hurt. That one hurt for us... Just didn't go our way, I guess. I don't really want to pinpoint anything because I didn't really see it, but that was a tough one."

Unlike their last three games, the Lakers failed to play well throughout the contest. The Lakers showed flashes of improved play of late, but the consistency wasn't there. The Knicks were more physical and showed immense urgency, especially on defense, to limit the Lakers.

The Knicks outrebounded the Lakers 12-6 in the final quarter. The extra possessions they gained proved crucial in the grand scheme of things. The Lakers had the chance to tie the seventh seed, but they have now dropped to 11th in the Western Conference standings with a 33-35 record. They are tied for the ninth seed with the Utah Jazz and OKC Thunder.