If you’re wondering what happened with Rui Hachimura in the second half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-107 road loss to the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night, then you are simply not the only one confused about it. It seems that even Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell has no idea about it. Well, maybe.
During the postgame press conference, Russell refused to tackle a question about why the Lakers did not involve the Gonzaga Bulldogs product more in the second half after Hachimura had a productive first halff versus the Kings.
Reporter: “D-Lo, I think Rui [Hachimura], I think Rui had 18 points. 8/10 shooting in the first half. [He] only took a corner three in the second half. Do you feel like you guys could have done more?…. But you guys could have done more to keep him involved, or did Sacramento just make an adjustment that made that more challenging?
Russell: “Yeah, I’d rather not go there with it. It’s a good game for Rui.”.
Rui Hachimura Wass Silent In The 2nd Half Of Los Angeles Lakers’ Loss To Sacramento
Based on his performance in the first half, one would think that Hachimura should have continued to get plenty of touches in the final two quarters.
He went 8/6 from the field, including a 3-pointer on two attempts from deep in the first half. He also was not called for any fouls in the first half, making it more confusing as to why he only got one attempt from the floor in the 18 minutes he was on the floor after the half.
Both Anthony Davis and LeBron James put up subpar showings in the Kings game, with AD going just 7/18 for 22 points, while The King only had 18 points on six made field goals and 16 shots from the floor.
Many will point their fingers again at Darvin Ham’s coaching when looking for something to blame for the Los Angeles Lakers’ debacle in the Sacramento game, but in any case, LA just lost another chance at improving their odds to make the top six of the Western Conference standings. They are currently ninth in the West with a 36-31 record.
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