Luka Doncic dropped a 46-point masterclass on the Bulls to earn the Lakers a 129-118 win at the United Center in Chicago. He also had 11 assists and seven rebounds to go with those points, while shooting extremely efficiently (15-25, 60.0 FG%) from the floor and also from beyond the arc (8-14, 57.1 3P%).
After the game, Doncic spoke to the Lakers’ sideline reporter, Mike Trudell, and spoke about a handful of things around the game. He also spoke about Austin Reaves’ imminent return from injury and Rui Hachimura’s impressive game after coming back from injury.
“Yeah, I can’t wait till he’s back on the court so I can rest a little bit. So [hopefully] he helps us out to win these games,” said Doncic while addressing how he envisions Reaves would contribute upon his return.
“Better for sure, he gives us three, I would say, decision-makers on the court that have great talent. We can’t wait to have him back. He’s been working out, I saw him, and he wants to be back, too. So excited to have him back,” Doncic further added during the postgame press conference on his expectations for the Lakers when Reaves returns.
Austin Reaves has been sidelined since the Lakers hosted the Rockets at home in a 96-119 loss in December. Out with a left calf strain, Reaves has since missed 16 games, including tonight’s win against the Bulls.
According to JJ Redick, Reaves could be back in action as early as the next game when the Lakers face the Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Doncic also spoke about Rui Hachimura’s impressive return to action after breaking back into the player rotation minutes after losing his starter role due to a right calf strain that had sidelined him for six games.
“He’s been great. Obviously, coming back from injury is not easy. But he’s been playing amazingly. So we need him out here every time, and the way he has been playing is awesome,” Doncic further added.
Hachimura’s minutes have slowly been increasing over the last six or seven games. When he returned from injury, he was playing only 18 minutes per night, but over the last three games, he has been getting over 25 minutes of action per game as a result of impressing the coaching staff.
Tonight as well, he finished with 23 points, two rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal while shooting 9-11 from the field (81.8 FG%) and 4-5 from beyond the arc (80.0 3P%).
Hachimura, who will be a free agent next season, was initially expected to fight for a starter role. However, in a recent interview, he claimed he is open to accepting the bench role as long as that’s what the Lakers need to win, showing a high degree of sportsmanship.
The Lakers improved to 28-17 following tonight’s win against the Bulls. They have four games left in their road-game stretch before heading home. If they get Reaves back in action from the next game, surely the future only looks bright for the Lakers.
Do you think Reaves’ return will improve the situation for the Lakers? Or will it create further confusion since there will be more decision makers on the court? And how does Hachimura fit into the future of the Lakers? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
