The Los Angeles Lakers comfortably beat the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday night 136-115 at Crypto.com Arena, marking their seventh straight win. In a game which the Pelicans never led again after being up 2-0, superstar guard Luka Doncic joined elite Lakers company.
Becoming just the fourth Lakers player with 30 points and 15 assists in a game, Doncic joined LeBron James, Jerry West, and Magic Johnson on that historic LA list (via NBA history on X).
The Lakers are continuing to find their rhythm since the blockbuster trade acquiring Doncic, however, that was not the only key trade that has contributed to this winning streak.
Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell (1).
© Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The first trade the Lakers made this season was on Dec. 29 when D’Angelo Russell was moved to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith. Since Russell’s return to the Nets where he was an All-Star in 2019, he has flourished personally while possessing the ball more.
According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the former No. 2 pick in the draft out of Ohio State has expressed interest in re-signing with Brooklyn this summer as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent after exercising his player option with the Lakers last summer.
D’Angelo Russell reportedly wants to stay in Brooklyn because he has more control of the ball, per @nypost
“Russell — whose 8.7 assists per 100 possessions with the Lakers were his worst since his rookie season — has handed out a dozen per 100 since joining the Nets, the best… pic.twitter.com/e8t7LeLOfU
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 5, 2025
“Russell — whose 8.7 assists per 100 possessions with the Lakers were his worst since his rookie season — has handed out a dozen per 100 since joining the Nets, the best in his career by a huge margin,” Lewis wrote. “With the ball in his hands and a leadership role, Russell is believed to have told those around him he wants to stay.”
Since rejoining the Nets, the 6-foot-3 point guard is averaging 13.7 points and 5.7 assists on 38.0% shooting. While the shooting percentage is a career-low for Russell, he has played just 18 games in Brooklyn, and could still be finding his way.