In game one of the of the Lakers first round playoff series against Memphis last spring, the hometown Grizzlies dared Rui Hachimura to beat them with open three pointers and he happily obliged by making five of his six attempts from deep en route to 29 points. It was a coming out party of sorts for Rui, and a game that showed what he was capable of in the playoffs.
On Wednesday night the stakes weren't quite as high and the injury riddled Grizzlies are not the same caliber of team from the one last season, but without Anthony Davis in the lineup and more offensive usage available, Rui was again left open from beyond the arc but outdid himself by making seven of his eight three-pointers to score 32 points in a Lakers 136-124 victory. The team's winning streak is now pushed out to five games and moved them to 2-0 on their road trip.
It was not just the outside shooting that made Rui so successful, though. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, continuing his strong effort on the glass after grabbing 14 on Tuesday against the Bucks. And then, offensively, Rui mixed in his normal array of offensive moves inside the arc, slashing his way to easy finishes at the rim, serving as a release valve for his mid-range jumper, and attacking off the dribble to get into the paint for buckets. Overall, it was a huge game on a night the Lakers absolutely needed someone to pick up some production with AD out.
While Rui certainly carried the way for the Lakers offensively, he was not alone in this one. After missing Tuesday's win over the Bucks, LeBron James returned to the lineup and quickly got into the groove, connecting on his first six shots from the field and making eight of his 14 shots overall to score 23 points. James added 14 rebounds and 12 assists, notching his fourth triple-double of the season and completely controlling the flow of the game when he was on the court.
And that was really what the Lakers needed most from him. Yes, the production was fantastic and contributed greatly to the win, but a night after the team played a double-OT thriller and many of the key rotation players carried a huge load and played big minutes, what the Lakers required most was a certain amount of juice and verve from their leader, which is exactly what LeBron brought.
He raced the floor and hunted transition chances, attacked the backboards defensively, and showed a general level of activity and forcefulness that set the tone for his team and showed the opponent they were in for a long night whenever he was on the court.
Outside of LeBron and Rui, five additional Lakers scored in double figures, including the other three starters and Taurean Prince (15 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie (14 points) off the bench. Like Rui, D'Angelo Russell had it going from the outside, making five three-pointers while pouring in 23 points. And while he did not shoot the ball as efficiently (four of 13), Austin Reaves still had a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists (to just two turnovers) with his passing being critical to getting the Lakers good shots all night.
Jaxson Hayes was also wonderful stepping into the starting lineup for AD, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds while hitting six of his seven shots from the field. Further, Hayes, like LeBron, brought a great energy and spirit to the floor, diving on the ground for loose balls, standing strong in the paint to contest shots and be deterrent at the rim, and attacking the basket with force as a roll threat offensively to throw down some big dunks.
Overall, then, this was a very good team win that showed a commitment to not giving back the gains made from Tuesday's win in Milwaukee. The team played a mostly focused and committed game, led by LeBron, but backed up by Rui, Austin, and several others to keep Memphis at bay from the outset. The team will now travel to Indiana and will try to sweep the season series against them when they play for the final time on Friday.