LeBron James Praises Lakers’ Superb Supporting Cast in Game 1 Victory
During the first-round series game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers held a fragile six-point lead as they went into the final quarter.
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During the initial 11 minutes of the last quarter, LeBron James and Anthony Davis only made a single shot each.
Despite the odds, L.A. managed to secure a 128-112 win with the help of an unexpected hero – a reserve player and an individual who was not selected in the college draft just two years ago.
Rui Hachimura tallied 29 points in the game, with nine of them coming in the final quarter, matching the Lakers’ Mychal Thompson’s record for the most points scored by a substitute in a playoff game. Meanwhile, Austin Reaves had a remarkable fourth quarter, going 5-for-5 and scoring nine consecutive points toward the end of the quarter, leading to a total of 23 points for the game.
James, who scored 21 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and made 3 blocks, attributed the victory to the team’s supporting members.
At halftime, the Lakers were in a difficult position and required additional effort from their team members. Davis, who scored 22 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and made 7 blocks and 3 steals, had to leave the game due to a stinger to his right shoulder in the second quarter. His performance was impressive as he became the first player to achieve such a postseason stat line since Tim Duncan almost two decades ago.
At that moment, the Lakers were behind by six points. However, Hachimura’s impressive performance in the third quarter, where he made four consecutive 3-point shots within six minutes, helped the Lakers regain control of the game. Hachimura, who joined the team in January after a trade with Washington, revealed that he practiced those particular shots before the series. Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy identified the gaps in the Grizzlies’ defense that Hachimura could exploit.
“The way they guard me, they’re going to be in the paint so I got to be ready to shoot those kinds of shots,” Hachimura said.
Desmond Bane, a Grizzlies guard, verified the statement and at the same time issued a challenge to Hachimura for Game 2.
“That was our game plan going in — make him hit shots and he did,” Bane said. “Tip your cap. It’s probably the best game he’s had in his career. It’s a seven-game series. Let’s see if he can do it again Wednesday.”
Reaves, who wasn’t drafted out of Oklahoma and later signed a two-way contract with the Lakers in 2021, became a full member of the team before the season started. He concluded the event by stating that he had a great time and got hot late, which is something he always dreamt of doing on such a big stage.
For the first time in the playoffs since May 15, 1988, the Lakers had four players who scored 20 or more points, which were James Worth, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Byron Scott. Additionally, D’Angelo Russell was close to making it five with his 19 points and seven assists.
Although Los Angeles has been victorious in 10 out of their last 12 games, which includes their recent triumph over Minnesota in the play-in game to secure the No. 7 seed against No. 2 Memphis, there have been indications of a decline. In their final four regular-season games, which featured a loss to the Clippers, the Lakers did not appear to be at their best, and their performance against Minnesota was uncoordinated at its most excellent and uncontrolled at its worst.
According to Lakers coach Darvin Ham, his team utilized the four-day gap between their victory over the Wolves and their initial playoff game against Memphis to readjust and regroup.
Ham stated that during the final week of the season or thereabouts, the team struggled with possessions in the play-in game. He explained that they wasted possessions by either not passing the ball or making only one pass before taking a shot.
The Los Angeles team received a motivational speech from James and Davis regarding the heightened intensity required for the playoffs, and as a result, they regained the momentum that initially led them to the playoffs. The team appears to be locked in and focused.
“How can we best extract the most production as we can out of this group?” Ham said, explaining the aim of the time off. “And this is how. This is what’s going to work against this team and what we need to explore; this is what we need to leave to the side. I thought it was a combination of all of that — being fresh and taking a deep, hard look at our offense and what’s been good and what’s been bad.”
Although the Lakers managed to grab a decisive victory in the series opener, snatching the home-court advantage from the Grizzlies, who are aiming to be the first No. 7 seed to stage an upset in the first round since San Antonio in 2010, James expressed his concerns about some of the mistakes made during Sunday’s game. He highlighted the fact that the Lakers’ 16 turnovers resulted in 15 points for the Grizzlies and admitted responsibility for the five turnovers he personally committed.
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