Lakers Fans Troll D'Angelo Russell, Westbrook Trade After Beating Raps Without LeBron

D'Angelo Russell's return to the court after missing six games was a rousing success for the Los Angeles Lakers in their 122-112 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

In the Lakers' first game after the All-Star break on Feb. 23, Russell sprained his right ankle against the Golden State Warriors. He missed two weeks but showed no rust with 28 points (16 in the fourth quarter) on 10-of-17 shooting and nine assists vs. the Raptors.

The Lakers have won four of six games since LeBron James suffered a tendon injury in his foot.

Russell's success led to a frenzy of Lakers fans praising him and using the opportunity to troll Russell Westbrook because of how much better they have been playing since he was traded:

This was a showcase game for Rob Pelinka because a number of the Lakers' trade-deadline acquisitions made a huge difference. Jarred Vanderbilt scored 16 points in 30 minutes, and the Lakers' bench outscored Toronto's reserves 71-12, with Dennis Schröder dropping 23 points, seven assists and four steals in the win.

Rui Hachimura had 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench. This was a game in which Anthony Daivs only scored eight points and took seven shots, yet the Lakers were still able to erase a 12-point third-quarter deficit and get the win.

The Lakers outscored Toronto 37-22 in the fourth quarter to get their third consecutive win and improve to 6-2 since the All-Star break.

Los Angeles has moved within one game of .500 at 33-34 and is only 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

The Lakers will host the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. The Raptors, who have lost four of their last five games, will return home to host the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.