Los Angeles Lakers: D’Angelo Russell Gets Real on Jose Alvarado’s Smack-Talking Antics in Play-In Win Vs. Pelicans

At one point in the game, Alvarado was whistled for a technical foul for inciting a confrontation between himself and Russell. The feisty Pelicans guard appears to have nudged his head in the direction of Russell’s face, which prompted a bit of a reaction from the Lakers star:

After the game, Russell was asked to share his thoughts on Alvarado’s actions during the game. DLo revealed that he knew exactly what his opponent was trying to do, and that it didn’t really bother him. Either way, Russell said that he has nothing but love for Alvarado:

“I was already going before that, so I think he was trying to be calculated and cool me off,” Russell said. “I respect his competition. I respect everything about him. Nothing but love there.”

D’Angelo Russell Goes Full Savage on Pelicans Bench

Russell is no stranger to trash-talking himself, and he made sure to blow off some steam after hitting one of the biggest shots of the evening. The former All-Star drained a corner trey right in front of the Pelicans bench to give the Lakers a four-point lead with just 50.3 seconds remaining in the game. Naturally, he just had to let the New Orleans players know what was up:

Pure savagery from a dude who has ice in his veins.