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Since returning from a six-game absence due to a right ankle sprain, Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard D'Angelo Russell has hardly lost a step. In fact, he's looked even better than he did when he first rejoined LA, averaging 31 points in his first two contests back with the club.

On Sunday night, however, the rest of the Lakers weren't so lucky, and the team fell to the visiting New York Knicks in a close one, 112-108.

Russell spoke with reporters afterwards about what went wrong, for the game and for him late in that game.

"That one hurt for us," Russell noted. "I think we were battling. We tried to do everything we could. We couldn't get enough rebounds, enough stops, make enough shots. It just didn't really go our way I guess."

Russell, who had scored 31 points through the game's first three quarters, was more or less cut off by New York in the fourth frame, as the Knicks tried to seal him off early and make the rest of the Lakers beat them.

"They started trapping me and trying to get the ball out of my hands, so definitely [they made] an adjustment," Russell acknowledged. "[We've] still got to find ways to capitalize on that in the back side in ways, so definitely [will] learn something from the film."

D-Lo will next get a chance to avenge the defeat tonight against a Western Conference rival with an identical record, the 33-35 New Orleans Pelicans.

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