Rui Hachimura had another big game for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. The 25-year-old exploded in the first half for 17 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting. He did well to keep the Lakers in this one, but ultimately, it was the Denver Nuggets who escaped with another hard-fought victory, 108-103, to secure a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.
After his blazing first half, Hachimura was asked about his aggressive mindset entering this contest. At that point, the 6-foot-8 dropped a brutally honest truth bomb on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets:
āJust trying to attack to the rim. They don't have a rim protector,ā Hachimura said.
Lisa Salters: "What has felt good to you offensively?"
Rui Hachimura: "Just trying to attack to the rim. They don't have a rim protector." š³pic.twitter.com/j5YHDXiTYN https://t.co/uTPgpMFzp0
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 19, 2023
Rui did not name any names, but it is clear that he was taking a shot at the Nuggets front court, which of course, is led by none other than former back-to-back league MVP Nikola Jokic. To be fair, Hachimura wasn't really dissing Jokic and the Nuggets here. He was simply stating a fact that as he said, he learned from watching all the film on the Nuggets.
In spite of his lack of prowess as a rim protector, though, Jokic still put up another magnificent display in Game 2, logging another 23-point, 17-rebound, 12-assist triple-double in 42 minutes of action. However, there's no denying that Jamal Murray was the hero of the day for Denver as he exploded for a game-high 37 points on 6-of-14 from distance.
Rui Hachimura and the Lakers need to make some major adjustments heading into Game 3 in LA as they now face two must-win games at home to keep their season alive.
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