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Rui Hachimura made his presence felt on Sunday when the LA Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-112. Hachimura was the star of the show as he carried the team with his 29-point outing. While Lakers fans were impressed by his performance, Desmond Bane wasn't exactly hopping on the hype train.
The Grizzlies guard isn't worried about Rui Hachimura being a threat in their series against the Lakers. In Desmond Bane's eyes, Hachimura wasn't an impactful player until today. With that said, Bane doesn't think the Lakers forward can replicate the same performance in the upcoming games.
"It’s probably the best game of his career," Bane said. "It’s a seven-game series. Let’s see if he can do it again Wednesday."
Rui Hachimura shocks the Memphis Grizzlies
Coming into Game 1, nobody expected Rui Hachimura to take over the LA Lakers' offense. Hachimura was locked in on Sunday as he scored an astounding 29 points to help LA secure the victory. His shooting was unstoppable as he shot 83.3% from beyond the arc and 78.5% overall. Lakers fans are now hoping that Rui can keep his game consistent throughout the series.
Luckily, Anthony Davis and LeBron James let their young players shine in Game 1. Davis and James both had double-double outings, however, it was clear that they were playing supporting roles for Hachimura and Austin Reaves. While the two young guards took care of the offense, AD and LBJ handled the defensive aspect of the game, making LA's game more complete.
Anthony Davis was a monster inside the paint with 12 rebounds and seven blocks. LeBron James had similar stats, adding 11 rebounds and three blocks. With an all-round performance by the Lakers, the Memphis Grizzlies struggled to beat LA.
One of the major reasons why the Grizzlies couldn't keep up with the Lakers was due to Steven Adams' absence in Game 1. Memphis didn't have a solid big man to lockdown Davis inside the paint. Then there's the fact that Ja Morant suffered a hand injury during the 4th quarter of the game, giving all the momentum to LA.
LA now has the opportunity to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round matchup against the Grizzlies. The question now is, which Lakers star will take over this time?
