On Friday night, as LeBron James was on the bench to rest his ailing left ankle, the Lakers set fire to the Crypto.com Arena floor. Building on his prior strong performances, D’Angelo Russell delivered a game that not only secured victory, but also became the night’s highlight. His Lakers career-high 44 points against the Milwaukee Bucks diverted the spotlight away from the injured King James. The incredible performance received numerous mentions, but one by three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas stood out above all others.

Arenas utilised an iconic footage from the ‘The Wire’ series to illustrate his initial feelings following the triumph. He posted a clip from his X account in which Idris Elba’s character Stringer Bell says the iconic line, “Are you ready to put the work in?” He also captioned the tweet with “What LeBron told D’Lo before the Bucks game.”

The contest was certainly riveting, with the purple and gold winning 123-122. When D’Angelo Russell hit the game-winning jumper to put the Lakers ahead, there were 5.9 seconds left on the clock. However, Spencer Dinwiddie’s block on Damian Lillard secured the victory for LA.

In the close game, D’Lo also dished out 9 assists and made 9 of 12 beyond-the-arc shots. Along with him was Anthony Davis, who contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds to the club. While the Lakers continued their strong performance against teams above.500, there have been questions about the seriousness of LeBron’s injury. When can LA Lakers fans expect Bron to return to the court?

LeBron James has missed nine games this season because of a left ankle issue. While he has previously stated that it is not a serious issue, his inconsistent presence on the court is causing concern among Lakers fans. Despite the fact that he is performing well, as seen by his 31 points and 13 assists in the most recent game versus Sacramento, fans want him to play.

Previously, Davis stated that the Lakers can bounce back even if Bron needs a rest following their loss to the Kings. Fortunately for Lakers fans, they triumphed against the Bucks. Interestingly, the Lakers are currently 5-4 in games where James has not participated this season.