In the NBA regular season, the Mavericks lost 107-117 at home to the Wizards and suffered two consecutive losses to start the season. After the game, team coach Kidd accepted an interview with the media.

When talking about Russell, Kidd said he was not injured. Later, Kidd explained in detail the reason for not playing Russell in the second half: "I think the lineup that brought the game back is the lineup we want to use, so he is not among them."

Russell played 8 minutes and 29 seconds today, making 0 of 3 shots, 0 of 1 three-pointers, 1 point, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. He did not appear in the second half. In the first two games of the season, Russell played a total of 24 minutes.