Rui Hachimura’s shady halftime comment about Nuggets backfired

Apr 7, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) before playing against the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Rui Hachimura played superbly in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday, but he might have one particular regret about the evening.

The Los Angeles Lakers forward Hachimura had a stellar first half against the Denver Nuggets, going a perfect 7-of-7 from the field for 17 points in just 14 minutes of play. At halftime, Hachimura was interviewed by ESPN’s Lisa Salters, who asked him about the driving force behind his offensive success. Hachimura responded with some shade at the Nuggets.

“Just trying to attack to the rim,” he said. “They don’t have a rim protector.

“I watch a lot of film, and yeah, that’s what I’m doing right now,” added Hachimura.

Hachmiura’s comment was a clear swipe at the ground-bound Nikola Jokic, who averages less than one block per game for his career, and the rest of Denver’s front line. But it really came back to bite Hachimura and the Lakers in the second half of the contest.

The Lakers went from leading by five at halftime (and by as many as 11 at one point) to losing the game 108-103. Along with timely three-point shot-making by Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets turned the tides on the defensive end with strong interior D. Jokic ended up dropping way back on the Lakers’ pick-and-rolls, which helped neutralize Anthony Davis (who ended up with just 18 points on a woeful 4-of-15 shooting).

Denver also dialed up the intensity late in the game with Porter forcing a crucial turnover on Davis in the paint with 1:40 left to play. Aaron Gordon chipped in as well by contesting LeBron James at the rim and forcing a miss on a layup that could have cut the Nuggets’ lead to two points with less than 30 seconds left.

After the victory for Denver, Jokic received a Defensive Player of the Game chain from his team due to the excellent defensive job that he did on Davis.

As for Hachimura, he continues to show out this postseason. Hachmiura now has 38 points through the first two games of the series on a smoking 16-of-21 shooting (76.2 percent). He also had a 21-point game in the previous round against Golden State and a 29-point outing in the first round against Memphis. But Hachmiura and the Lakers obviously have not learned their lesson about talking too much at halftime (which had already backfired for them earlier in the playoffs).