After falling behind by as many as 21 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers looked like they were outmatched.
They gave up a huge margin in rebounding and seemed helpless in defending Nikola Jokic, who finished with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists while shooting a very high percentage.
But L.A. fought back in the fourth quarter, trimming its deficit to three in the final moments before losing, 132-126.
The biggest key to their rally was reserve forward Rui Hachimura guarding Jokic and holding him to just three points and no baskets in the fourth quarter. On the other end, Hachimura had 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
Some have suggested that Hachimura should be moved into the starting lineup, which would mean the Lakers would have to bench either Dennis Schroder, who has started the last two games, or D’Angelo Russell, who has been a fixture in the starting lineup since arriving in a February trade. But according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the team is concerned Russell could perceive being moved to the bench as an insult.
Via ESPN.com:
“Russell — who shot just 4-for-11 and played only nine minutes in the second half after registering a plus-minus of -23 in 17 first-half minutes — would naturally be under consideration; however, multiple team sources told ESPN that there is concern the team could ‘lose’ the 27-year-old point guard if he views the adjustment as a demotion after starting every other game this postseason.”
Russell will be a free agent this summer, and despite his offensive inconsistency in the playoffs, losing him would be a sizable blow to the Lakers’ chances of winning the NBA title next season.
