D’Angelo Russell gets fined by NBA for unsportsmanlike act after Steph Curry shot attempt

Saturday night was a good one for D’Angelo Russell and the Los Angeles Lakers, but what he did after his team’s game against the Golden State Warriors has cost him $15,000.

After Stephen Curry’s buzzer-beater attempt fell short, Russell kicked the ball into the stands at Chase Center.

Against the Warriors, Russell played 48 minutes and recorded 28 points on 8-for-19 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc. He also chipped in three rebounds, five assists and two steals.

He almost cost the team the game, however, as he had back-to-back turnovers late in the second overtime period before pulling up from 3-point range with no hesitation and making a clutch shot.

The Warriors took back the lead after Russell’s 3-pointer, but LeBron James wound up winning his team the game after making two free throws.

After the contest, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham spoke about Russell’s late 3-pointer and said the point guard “owed us a couple.”

Russell is making $17.3 million this season, so he likely isn’t bothered too much by the fine. He has a player option worth a little under $19 million for the 2024-25 season.

The former first-round pick has seen his name involved in trade rumors for a while now, and he’s been most prominently mentioned in rumors regarding Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray.

However, it seems like Russell’s strong play of late has forced talks between the Lakers and Hawks to cool down. As the league’s trade deadline (Feb. 8) gets closer and closer, the likelihood of Russell staying with the Lakers looks like it’s increasing.

Since being reinserted into the Lakers starting lineup on Jan. 13, the former No. 2 overall pick is averaging 27.5 points and 6.4 assists per game while knocking down 52.3 percent of his shots from the field and 54.2 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. He’s played in eight games over that span.

The Lakers are currently in ninth place in the Western Conference ahead of their game against the Houston Rockets on Monday night. They are 2.5 games back of the Phoenix Suns for the conference’s last guaranteed playoff spot.