Last night, the Lakers needed a miracle to snap their three-game losing streak. And it came in the form of a LeBron James buzzer beater to seal the win against the Pacers. But while the four-time champ got the majority of the credit (and rightfully so), one Los Angeles star’s silent contribution seemingly went unnoticed—Rui Hachimura!
When the LA team was up by only two points and needed a bucket to extend their lead, Rui hit two clutch deep-range threes in the final minutes, giving them that cushion. Sure, the Pacers made a quick comeback and tied the game once again. But had it not been for Hachimura’s three-pointers, the Lakers might have fallen into a deep hole. Even LeBron acknowledged the Japanese star’s role after the big win.
“Yeah, obviously we know we gotta be better. Especially in those last two minutes, we felt like we had some momentum after those two big time threes by Rui,” he said.
Since returning from his 12-game hiatus due to left patellar tendinopathy, Rui had been struggling to find his rhythm. In his last two appearances, he scored in single digits. But he finally regained his groove last night, finishing with 14 points while shooting 4 of 4 from beyond the arc, proving yet again why the Lakers need him.
While Rui saved the day, the final two minutes of yesterday’s game exposed one major issue for JJ Redick’s team. One that LeBron highlighted, “You know we gotta do a better job of defending, you know. Not letting them score so fast in the shot clock, and then obviously Tyrese hit a big-time floater to put them up one. So, we gotta do a better job at that.”
Yes, King James was not pleased with the Lakers’ crunch-time defense. After Rui Hachimura put them up by six, instead of increasing the pressure, the LA team conceded three quick buckets and lost their lead within seconds. Had it not been for LeBron’s buzzer-beating tip, they would have lost their fourth straight game.
Moreover, defense has been a major problem for the Lakers recently, as they suffered blowout double-digit losses in the last three games. So, JJ and his crew need to figure out a way to do a better defensive job in the remaining ten games. Although there were some minor concerns, LBJ was just happy to get the win.
LeBron James claims game is “never over” as he details “weird” shooting struggles against Pacers
Well, a major reason last night’s game went down to the wire was LeBron’s bad shooting night. In a rare occurrence, the all-time leading scorer struggled to put the ball in the basket and had only 3 points through the first three quarters. It wasn’t until the final period that he finally found his rhythm and scored ten points to help his team win.
Jan 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after a play during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
After the game, James addressed the early struggles in Indiana, “Yeah, I mean how many shot attempts did I have through three? Yeah, it was a little weird, too. It’s alright… So, you don’t really know if you in the rhythm or not or if you’re out of rhythm with 6 shot attempts.” LeBron believes his lack of shot attempts might have played a part in his bad shooting night.
Of course, the only thing that mattered to him was getting the win and ending his team’s awful fate. “It’s about the game is never over till there’s zeros on the clock. Like literally tonight and just keep your composure throughout… The main thing is the main thing and that’s just trying to win the basketball game,” he said.
With ten regular-season games remaining, hopefully, yesterday’s win and Rui Hachimura’s resurgence will end the Lakers’ defensive struggles and get them back to their winning ways—right on time for the playoffs. Thoughts?
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