D’Angelo Russell predicts victory for Lakers in Nuggets series despite 0-2 hole

May 6, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) moves the ball up court against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

D’Angelo Russell is putting himself on the line with the Los Angeles Lakers facing an 0-2 deficit.

The Lakers guard Russell posted a notable message in his Discord server this week following the team’s heartbreaking Game 2 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

“We still gonna win,” wrote Russell. “Don’t give up on us.”

D’angelo Russell In this podcast discord

“We still gonna win. Don’t give up on us”

I STILL BEILEVE @Dloading pic.twitter.com/Z4cNBp06WO

— 𝓗𝓮𝔁𝓲𝔂𝔂𝔂 🇳🇿 (@Hexiyyy) April 23, 2024

That is the Discord server for Russell’s podcast “The Backyard Podcast,” which he has posted links to before.

Tap in @The_BackyardPod https://t.co/dG2lT4S0wM

— D'Angelo Russell (@Dloading) March 20, 2024

The podcast page also recently posted a new link to the server (where Russell’s above message is still visible in the “search” function) and effectively confirmed in their post that “dloading0101” is Russell.

The ex-All-Star Russell had a nightmare Game 1 against the Nuggets and received widespread ridicule from social media for it. While Russell came roaring back to life in Game 2 (finishing with 23 points on seven triples), it still wasn’t enough to beat Denver. Russell even took to social media after Game 2 to complain about the officiating.

Ultimately, the Lakers have now lost ten straight games to the Nuggets (regular season and playoffs) yet somehow need to win four of the next five games to take the series. Russell obviously has the right mentality here for a member of the team as they head back to their home floor. But if history is any indication, that confidence is probably misplaced at this point.