Getting tapped, and then smacked, in the back of the head – even lightly – in the closing seconds of a playoff game isn’t an ordinary experience.
It’s the kind of moment most players would remember, even a couple of days after the moment.
But for Rui Hachimura, that wasn’t the case.
“When? When was that?,” Hachimura first responded when asked about the moment.
Because it was Luka Doncic who was the one playfully hitting Hachimura on the back of the head while Hachimura was in the corner closest to the Lakers’ bench as the clock wound down to zero, securingthe Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Rockets on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.
“Hmm…I don’t remember,” Hachimura said. “He always does that stuff. I probably don’t even think about it. I’m used to it, probably. I don’t remember that.”
Doncic (left hamstring), along with fellow star guard Austin Reaves (left oblique), may continue to be sidelined because of their regular season-ending injuries they suffered on April 2.
But the group is benefitting from both of them being around as they work their way back to a hopeful return to the court.
“Obviously, helping out guys on the bench, just watching the game from that view, you can see different things you don’t see when you’re necessarily in the game,” Jaxson Hayes said. “And so they’re able to tell guys that stuff and just help out as much as possible.”
#Lakersforward Rui Hachimura said he does not remember this interaction with Luka Doncic at the end of Game 1 in the first round series between the#Rocketsand#LakeShow.He said it’s probably because Luka does this stuff all the time. He noted it’s fun having him back at…pic.twitter.com/FgZUig4JYg
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
