13.1 PPG scorer showed why he was contributing to the Los Angeles Lakers’ success in the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers locked the Golden State Warriors and the Horn as they last matched in the regular season.
Despite being a higher seed, the Lakers did not respond to the New Look warriors as they went through a 123-116 defeat at Crypto.com Arena.
The loss could have a lasting impact on the Lakers’ title chances this season, but the team had a silver lining.
Usually, the trio of LeBron James, Luka Donsic and Austin Reeves are expected to take care of the business. However, the Lakers have played in the Big 4 in court.
This is when 27-year-old Rui Hachimura gets turned off by affecting the game at all levels. Come to think of it, Rui did it with a 7-point defeat for the Lakers.
Hana finished the night with 24 points, 6 rebounds and three assists. He also shot an impressive 15-15 nine from the floor, including a six-thirds show from the 3-point line.
It was undoubtedly Louis’s best game to post an NBA All-Star break. But even more importantly, Tamura showed that there is a special place in the head coach JJ Redick’s system.
Given that Luka Donsic took a break against Dub, Hanchon stepped up to fill his void, becoming the third option behind the James and Reeves duo.
Come in playoff time. If the Lakers want realistic shots to win all season this season, coach Redick needs the same from the RUI.
At this point in the season, there is no room for error in the Western Conference. After all, each victory or loss can determine the final ranking of the West.
The Lakers slid to fourth in the rankings following the Warriors’ loss. More importantly, despite holding the fourth seed, it is only 1.5 games from the spot in the play-in tournament.
Speaking of Lakers vs Warriors clash, Donsic has struggled throughout the game. So his two-year streak of making at least one 3-pointer in the game was snapped when he shot 6-6 from the deep.
Doncic finished the night with just 19 points, shooting 35.7% off the field. He had eight rebounds and seven assists, but his disastrous shooting made headlines about it.