Sports
'I never fear confrontation': Why D'Angelo Russell shined in Lakers' win over Bucks
D’Angelo Russell walked back onto the court where, an hour earlier, he’d just wrapped up his best basketball game as a Laker.
He grinned as he looked at the mostly empty Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers had just beaten the Milwaukee Bucks 123-122 without LeBron James. Russell made the go-ahead basket to give him 44 points. He’d scored 21 of the Lakers’ 27 points in the fourth quarter, tied for the third most by a Lakers player in the final quarter.
It was his moment.
In his mind, it always is.
He darted his eyes around the empty stands late Friday night and said that with no James, a full building and a national TV audience — he was ready.
“It’s like all these people are here for me,” he said. “That’s my mind-set.”
Russell’s supreme confidence hasn’t always been viewed as an asset. The circumstances of his season in Los Angeles should’ve punctured that perception months ago, but it never did.
Discussed in virtually every trade scenario of impact, in and out of the starting lineup and losing rhythm, Russell saved his season — and probably that of the Lakers.
“When I talk to my people, they know what I’m capable of. I just talk to my circle. I brag to them,” Russell told The Times on the court late Friday. “All the s— people tweet about me, we talk about it. And it’s just motivation. It just fuels me.”
Friday, Russell was gasoline.
As Anthony Davis’ left arm dangled after a collision with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks took a late lead, Russell sank a big three to keep the game within reach. And when he had a chance to make the game’s biggest shot, he did so confidently.
Russell attacked Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez in a pick-and-roll, and as he moved quickly in, and then out, he floated a 13-footer through the rim with his left hand for the game’s final points.
“That’s DLo, man,” coach Darvin Ham said.
Since returning to the starting lineup on Jan. 13, Russell has been sensational, averaging 22.8 points and 6.4 assists while making 45.8% of his shots from three on more than eight attempts per game.
The Lakers have won 16 of those 25 games.
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, left, slips a pass around Bucks center Brook Lopez during the first half Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
The heater itself isn’t crazy when you consider Russell’s talent — his unorthodox style masking a widely respected set of skills like a silky shot and elite court vision and passing.
It is, though, kind of crazy when you consider Russel’s trade value — or lack thereof — was one of the big stories around the Lakers through the trade deadline.
“He and I had a conversation. I won’t go into detail, but he and I had conversations about that very thing,” Ham said after the game Friday. “And you know, it’s a, I don’t call it unfortunate, but it’s just a reality of our business. His name’s being thrown around because he has value and he’s worth something; other teams see that.”
Yet people with knowledge of trade talks not authorized to speak publicly paint a different picture of Russell’s value at the deadline. His $18.7-million player option for next season was viewed negatively leaguewide, as teams asked the same questions evaluators have asked about Russell for years.
Yeah, he’s talented, but does he affect winning?
The nonexistent trade market left little doubt the answer teams had.
“With my craft and my talent on the floor, I’ve always felt like I was capable of doing things. Getting hot makes it a little more exciting throughout a game,” Russell said in his postgame news conference. “Off the floor, obviously, you know what I’ve been through. Public humiliation has done nothing but molded me into the killer that y’all see today. And, um, I never lack confidence. I never fear confrontation. I want all the smoke.”
Russell credited a three-game absence around New Year’s with opening his eyes to ways he could better be himself.
“Just recognizing the pockets I could be more aggressive in and be efficient in,” Russell said. “And I saw it and attacked it as soon as I came back.”
He also vowed to stop being deferential, to trust that he would do the right thing when the moment demanded.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, center, talks with guards D’Angelo Russell, left, and Max Christie during the first half Friday night.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
“I don’t want to say he stopped caring, but in some sense, he stopped caring about something,” Austin Reaves told The Times. “I don’t know exactly what that something was.”
It has not been perfect and it wasn’t Friday.
One of Russell’s three misses from three-point range on Friday was a rushed shot from the top of the key in the third quarter, an airball. Davis immediately told him he thought it was a bad shot. Russell’s high points this week were also surrounded by tough nights in losses against Denver and Sacramento.
But as Russell has become more comfortable asserting himself, the Lakers have become more comfortable relying on him to do it.
“DLo was being DLo,” Davis said. “Took over the game for us.”
Fittingly, Russell wasn’t the only player rewriting his own value on Friday. Spencer Dinwiddie, a player who saw his role change in Brooklyn this season before being traded and waived, made his biggest play in his first start for his hometown Lakers.
After Russell’s go-ahead floater, Dinwiddie blocked Lillard’s potential game-winning shot thanks to a wonderful defensive play.
“It’s everything. I mean, I’m not gonna lie to you, having been a high-usage offensive guy my entire career, I mean, even when I was a kid, stuff like that, I kind of dreamed of those moments in terms of hitting the shot, not necessarily getting the block,” Dinwiddie said. “But it feels pretty much just as sweet. So it’s fun to step into a new role with my childhood team and be productive in the sense of helping us get wins. So that isn’t lost on me, and it’s something that I’m definitely gonna cherish the rest of my life.”
Lakers teammates Jaxson Hayes, right, Spencer Dinwiddie, center, and D’Angelo Russell celebrate their win over the Bucks after Dinwidde blocked the potential winning shot on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Over the last two months, Russell has had a handful of these kinds of moments, his return to the Lakers, the franchise that drafted him, trending up after plenty of moments when it seemed destined to end.
“I just feel confident in what I bring to the basketball game,” Russell said. “If it’s film, watching it, helping young players, I just know what I bring to the table. So whatever room I walk in, I’m confident.”
Trade rumors couldn’t dent it. Criticism of his game couldn’t alter it. It’s a core trait.
“There’s like a handful of people on this earth that have the confidence that he has on the court,” Reaves told The Times. “…I wish I could have it. I really do.”
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ATLANTA — The FBI and Atlanta Police Department are getting ready for a massive security operation ahead of the World Cup semifinals between England and Argentina at Atlanta Stadium.
Both agencies have used drones to search for potential threats on the ground and in the sky. The FBI is enforcing the Federal Aviation Administration’s Temporary Flight Restrictions around the venue.
The FBI has confiscated more than 600 drones nationwide since the World Cup began. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Field Office Marlo Graham said 86 of those drones were seized in Atlanta.
Graham said the FBI uses a “mechanism” that allows agents to see unauthorized drones in restricted airspace. Agents then work to mitigate the threat posed by unknown drones.
“We’ve been able to safely land drones that have been unauthorized in the flight restricted area,” Graham said.
The FBI has confiscated more than 600 drones at World Cup events since the tournament started. (FBI Atlanta)
While the FBI treats every drone as a potential threat, Graham said the threat level can increase depending on the size of the drone and how close it gets to the stadium.
“Obviously, the closer to the venue, the larger the crowd. We are fortunate here in Atlanta that we have a closed dome stadium,” Graham said. “We don’t want the game to be impacted because a hobbyist couldn’t control their drone, and it lands right when one of our star players was getting ready to score a goal.”
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The Atlanta Police Department’s Drone Unit has helped the FBI track down people suspected of flying in restricted zones.
Sgt. Kindu Franklin said most of the people caught flying drones around World Cup venues are hobbyists with no intent to harm the crowd of soccer fans below.
“In some cases, they just recently bought a drone just for FIFA to get some of the cool footage that they want to put up on their social media,” Franklin said. “There are different ways that you can weaponize these drones. So, we’re operating in a proactive manner.”
The Atlanta Police Department’s drone mission at the World Cup focuses on surveillance. (FOX)
The Atlanta Police Department’s drone mission is focused on surveillance. Officers are looking for potential threats, traffic issues and people the FBI suspects are flying drones illegally.
“So, what we want to do is give our command staff a view that they can’t get from the ground,” Sgt. James Cunningham with APD’s Drone Unit said.
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Cunningham’s unit can launch drones remotely from handheld controllers. Other drones are launched from docking stations strategically placed across the city, and officers control them from the back of an SUV using a computer and a PlayStation controller.
The Atlanta Police Department launches some drones from docks strategically placed across the city. They are controlled by a computer and a PlayStation controller. (Fox News)
The drone docks are used year-round to help the police get an aerial view of emergency situations before officers arrive. The computer shows the drone pilot where all the police body cameras and vehicles are in the area, allowing them to communicate better with officers on the ground.
For the World Cup, the drone docks let the department have more eyes in the sky and respond to emergencies faster.
“It’s going to cut down time. We’re going to get there quick. And then you’re going to get an aerial perspective of what you can’t see on the ground,” Cunningham said.
The Atlanta Police Department launches some drones from docks to get more eyes in the sky and respond to emergencies faster. (Fox News)
Cunningham said the drone unit has completed more than 1,400 flights and logged more than 550 flight hours since the beginning of June.
“Some people haven’t even done that in years or haven’t even reached those numbers in the life of their drone unit,” Cunningham said.
“We train for the environment. We live here, so we know what to expect,” Anais Paredes, an APD drone pilot, said.
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The FBI is asking that hobbyist drone pilots know the Temporary Flight Restrictions in their area before taking off.
There is a one-mile restriction around World Cup stadiums on non-match days, and a three-mile restriction on game day.
LAS VEGAS — From the time Austin Reaves joined the Lakers in 2021 as an undrafted prospect, his basketball life centered around playing with a savant in LeBron James.
That no longer will be the case.
Reaves re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $180-million deal, but James decided to move on as he prepares to play an unprecedented 24th season.
Reaves was stunned when he heard about James’ decision while playing golf in Lake Tahoe. Nearly two weeks later, Reaves says he still is trying to process the development.
“I kind of was thinking about it last night when I got here,” Reaves said Monday in his first news conference since re-signing. “Starting the season without him being on the team is going to be different for me. He’s kind of all I’ve ever known. Just him being around, joking around, acting like he’s 15. But that’s his decision and like I said in Tahoe, anytime I’ve talked about it, I got nothing but love and respect for him and yeah, let’s play some golf soon.”
The contract Reaves signed was the richest in NBA history for an undrafted player. At 28 and entering his sixth season, Reaves wanted to stay in L.A.
“I wanted to be a Laker the whole time. We had that period from when the season ended until the first [of July] to get something done and we figured it out before then,” he said. “My heart was in L.A. the whole time.”
Reaves will become one of the de facto leaders of the Lakers along with Luka Doncic. The two once again will be one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA.
“Obviously my relationship with the guys that were on the team last year,” Reaves said of why he wanted to stay. “And then Luka. I mean, he’s one of my best friends on this planet. Talk to him almost every single day. He sends me videos of his golf swing and asks me what he can do to get better and I tell him I’m not a coach.”
The Lakers have overhauled the roster: All the players who started alongside Reaves in the playoffs last spring are gone. With the signing of former Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams on Monday, the Lakers have eight new players, all of them arriving either via trades, free agency or the draft.
“They’re good,” Reaves said of the moves. “Obviously, I’ve been with the guys that are leaving for a couple years and with Bron for five years and I hate to see guys like that go. But the pieces that are coming in, I’m very excited about and I’m happy to get started today and see where it goes.”
Walker Kessler dunks during a game between the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers on March 23.
(Rob Gray / Associated Press)
One of those new players is Walker Kessler, a 7-foot-2 center the Lakers felt fit best around Doncic and Reaves because he’s a lob threat, rim-protector and good defender and is developing his three-point shooting.
The Lakers got him from the Utah Jazz in a trade and then signed him to a four-year, $130-million contract. The Lakers sent out two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033) and two first-round pick swaps (2028, 2030).
Kessler, who played only five games last season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, is aware the Lakers paid a big price to get him.
“It definitely makes you feel a certain way when you know an organization believes in you,” Kessler said Monday in his introduction. “And I think what they’ve invested, they’re showing that belief in a monetary value, not just with money, but like you said, assets. And for me, I’m somebody that if I know that they have that belief in me, I’m gonna run through a brick wall for them. That’s just how I’ve been wired my whole life and it definitely makes it a lot easier to go out there and compete for a team.”
Power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili could become a fan favorite, in part because of the tattoo he has on his lower left leg — a No. 24 in honor of Kobe Bryant.
Mamukelashvili, who signed a four-year, $52-million deal, averaged 11.2 points last season with the Toronto Raptors and shot 52.3% from the field, including 38.9% from three-point range.
“I got a Mamba Mentality tattoo. I just love his mindset,” Mamukelashvili said. “Growing up, I used to always say, “Mah-moo Mentality!’ So, I know it’s a little far from each other. But we are getting closer.”
When guard Collin Sexton, another new Laker, was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, James left and signed with the Lakers. When Sexton signed a two-year, $19-million deal with the Lakers this month, James left again.
Sexton could only laugh about missing out on playing with James.
“He’s just leaving every time I arrive,” Sexton said, laughing. “That’s what it is. No, but one of the other coaches made the same joke yesterday. It’s cool, I know. I’ve always wanted to team up with him for sure, but it’s definitely cool knowing him and just having normal conversations and stuff, so that’s cool.”
Sexton averaged 15.4 points and shot 48.5% last season with Chicago and Charlotte. He’s ready for whatever role coach JJ Redick and the Lakers want for him.
“They believe in me,” he said. “And I just feel like at the end of the day, whenever a coach believes in you and like he said, he’s going to be hard on me and yelling and screaming at me. So, I like that. I think that’s what gets the best from me.”
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WWE will swing for the fences for the second straight year when it hosts one of its major premium live events of the year at a Major League Baseball ballpark.
The company announced on Monday that Survivor Series: WarGames will take place at Daikin Park in Houston – the home of the Astros – on Saturday, Nov. 28. It follows up the success of last year’s Survivor Series: WarGames event, which took place at Petco Park in San Diego – the home of the Padres.
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Roman Reigns lands a Superman Punch on Brock Lesnar during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 29, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
“Houston is the perfect host city to celebrate this milestone chapter in Survivor Series’ storied history, and we look forward to partnering with Houston First and the Houston Astros to deliver an unforgettable event,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a news release.
WarGames is a highly anticipated match, which has taken place yearly among wrestlers on the WWE roster since 2022. The premium live event has also seen some dramatic returns.
Stephanie Vaquer enters the ring during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
In 2023, CM Punk came back to WWE at the end of the show and shocked the entire sports world. Randy Orton also made his in-ring return during the match. Last year, a mystery attacker interrupted the WarGames match and gave the win to The Vision and company.
It’s unclear what is in the cards right now for the 40th edition of the event.
“We are proud to be able to help bring one of the world’s premier entertainment brands to Houston for what promises to be an unforgettable holiday weekend,” said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First, which partnered with WWE to bring the event back to Houston.
Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio celebrate their win during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
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“Hosting WWE Survivor Series will bring thousands of passionate fans to our city and generate a significant economic impact for community. Houston has earned a reputation for delivering world-class entertainment events, and we look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to our destination.”
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