The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a fantastic win over the Utah Jazz last night, pulling the feat off on the second night of a road back-to-back without LeBron James. Rui Hachimura made headlines with his 36-point performance, setting a new career high.
Austin Reaves poked fun at Rui’s career-high night by mocking his playmaking skills. Reaves jokingly said that Hachimura’s single assist on the night could be considered another career-high.
“That’s what Rui does. He might have had a career-high in assists too. He had one. Nah, I’m playing… Any time Rui sees his first couple go in, it’s going to be a good game for us.”
Austin Reaves says the Lakers are "just playing the right way" as they close out February going 6-1. pic.twitter.com/my1DOtO7IY
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 15, 2024
Hachimura’s actual career-high in assists came during the 2020 Orlando bubble, where he picked up six dimes in a 100-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Hachimura was playing for the Wizards at the time and hasn’t shown any real playmaking flair in his career. But his scoring prowess seems to be improving every season.
Rui is averaging 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists this season but was given inconsistent minutes all season. He has had some bad performances this season, but the recent increase in workload has helped him impact the game more. He’s averaging 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and just 0.8 assists on 33.6 minutes per game in his last five contests, locking down a starting spot on the team ahead of Taurean Prince.
The Lakers Aiming To Dominate After The All-Star Break
This was the final Lakers game before the All-Star break, with the team going on a week-long vacation while LeBron James and Anthony Davis represent the Western Conference at the All-Star game. The team has won six of their last seven games and is inching closer to the top six of the Western Conference. They’re just 3.5 games behind the Suns, who are the No. 6 seed.
Anthony Davis has been the main reason behind the Lakers’ success. He’s averaging 24.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks this season, proving himself as one of the best two-way players in the NBA right now. He exploded for 39 points and 15 rebounds against the Jazz, being the most impactful player on the court once again for the Lakers.
The team will restart their season against the Golden State Warriors after the All-Star break, a marquee matchup for both teams looking to climb up the standings. The Warriors blew a big lead in a loss to the Clippers last night, so they’ll be motivated to return from the break and get back to winning ways against the Lakers.
The teams ahead of them in the standings are all on strong streaks of form right now. The Pelicans have won seven of their last eight games while the Suns have won seven of their last nine. The Mavericks are on a six-game winning streak, while the Warriors have won five of their last six. Even the Kings beat the Nuggets last night to show they are to be reckoned with.
The Lakers have the 10th hardest schedule in the NBA after the All-Star break, which means they’ll have to overcome many challenges. But this group seems to finally have found their ideal rotations to dominate the final stretch of the season like they did last year.
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