D’Angelo Russell and the new-look Lakers figured things out on the fly to take down the defending champs on their home floor.

Working to get in sync with his new teammates and eager to complement Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Russell communicated on the court all game long after rejoining his first team where he played from 2015-17. The Lakers picked Russell second overall in 2015 out of Ohio State.

He had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in his Lakers return after being acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, Dennis Schroder scored 26 points, and Los Angeles beat the Golden State Warriors 109-103 on Saturday night in a rivalry missing the star power of injured greats LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

“It was a little weird but I’m trying to normalize it,” said Russell, who also played 33 games for the Warriors during the 2019-20 season. “The sooner the better. I’ve been in this situation. ... After that first stint you kind of get comfortable again. When you get traded so many times the irony comes back with all these teams and just kind of normalize it.”

“They’re frustrated we couldn’t close out these last two games,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We just haven’t been able to string together enough wins to create a little momentum and separation in the standings.”

Poole scored eight straight points early in the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers that tied the game at 87 with 10:37 left. He also dished off to Ty Jerome for a layup with 5:01 to play.

James sat out his second straight game with a left foot injury since becoming the NBA’s all-time scoring leader Tuesday against Oklahoma City, while reigning NBA Finals MVP Curry was sidelined for a third in a row with a left leg injury.