The Los Angeles Lakers are 1-2 to start the NBA season after falling in overtime to the Sacramento Kings, 132-127, on Sunday evening. While they aren’t quite in must-win status right now, they need to right the ship and stabilize their play as soon as possible before they fall too far behind in the standings.
After two poor games to start the schedule, forward Rui Hachimura heated up early in the fourth quarter on Sunday. He hit his first three shots of the period, two of them 3-pointers, in a span of three minutes to spark a quick run that put L.A. up by five points.
Unfortunately, Hachimura will not play on Monday against the Orlando Magic because of a left eye contusion.
Rui Hachimura is officially out for tonight. The Lakers will start their walkthrough in about 15 minutes to prepare for their game against the 2-0 Orlando Magic that tips off in three hours.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 30, 2023
Some wondered why head coach Darvin Ham took Hachimura out with 7:27 remaining in the fourth quarter and didn’t bring him back for the rest of the game. Now, the Lakers will have to get it done without him.