Tag: Rui Hachimura

Rui Hachimura says he’s in good shape now after nasal fracture

After missing the Lakers’ last five games, key reserve forward Rui Hachimura sounds like he’s ready to go for the in-season tournament.

After having trouble gaining momentum to start the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have won nine of their last 13 games. It hasn’t been very pretty, but there are reasons for hope.

They have addressed some of their early season deficiencies, except for 3-point shooting, which is such a huge deficiency for them. One of those issues has been health.

The Lakers are closer to full health than they have been since early in the exhibition season. Forward Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura were cleared to play on Saturday against the Houston Rockets. While Hachimura didn’t play in that contest, he’s apparently good to go for Tuesday’s in-season tournament quarterfinal.

He said the nasal fracture that kept him out of L.A.’s last five games is a lot better now.

Via Lakers Nation:

“I think I’m in good shape now,” Hachimura said. “The last game, I know it was in the media saying if I was gonna play or not, whatever, but I wasn’t really in good shape. It was right after the surgery, couldn’t even really do anything for a week. Me and the team decided that we’re gonna try to get into shape and get ready for this game tomorrow. So hopefully (I’ll be able to play).”

The Purple and Gold will face Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, a team they have already defeated twice this season, on Tuesday. The winner will face the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinal round in Las Vegas on Thursday.

Darvin Ham on Rui Hachimura’s status for Tuesday’s in-season tournament game

Rui Hachimura didn’t play on Saturday despite being cleared after dealing with a nasal fracture, but will he play in Tuesday’s showdown?

The Los Angeles Lakers will participate in the knockout round of the NBA’s first in-season tournament on Tuesday when they host Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. It could be an entertaining game. It will not only be a matchup of two potential championship contenders but will also feature two of this era’s greatest players, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

The Lakers are incrementally building momentum. They have won nine of their last 13 games and are getting healthier. Forward Jarred Vanderbilt made his regular-season debut on Saturday after dealing with heel bursitis for several weeks. Rui Hachimura was cleared to play following a nasal fracture he sustained last month.

Hachimura didn’t play on Saturday against the Houston Rockets, but head coach Darvin Ham said he will almost certainly take the court on Tuesday.

Since arriving in a trade last January, Hachimura has provided L.A. instant offense and some stretches of effective defense off the bench. The team will need that to win the in-season tournament, not to mention the NBA championship this summer.

Lakers fans will be happy to see L.A.’s latest injury update

There have been some big changes to the Lakers’ injury report ahead of Saturday’s game versus the Rockets.

So far this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had to deal with one injury after another, sometimes in bunches. While none of those injuries have been particularly serious, they have had affected the team’s performance.

Lately, Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura have missed multiple games with groin soreness and a nasal fracture, respectively. Backup center Jaxson Hayes didn’t play in Thursday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In addition, forward Jarred Vanderbilt and guard Gabe Vincent have been out for multiple weeks. Outside of Anthony Davis, Vanderbilt and Vincent may be L.A.’s best defensive players.

But ahead of Saturday’s home contest versus the Houston Rockets, Hayes and Reddish are listed as probable, while Hachimura and even Vanderbilt are noticeably absent from the injury report.

If the Lakers don’t have any new injuries, they should be able to continue building chemistry after last winter’s trades that remade their supporting cast. They’re 11-9, which puts them in seventh place in the Western Conference, but they’re only two games out of third place, which is held by the Thunder.

Nasal fracture will force the Lakers’ Rui Hachimura to miss at least a week

The Lakers’ depth will be depleted for a while, as key reserve forward Rui Hachimura will miss at least a few games.

The Los Angeles Lakers have improved ever since starting this season with five losses in their first eight games. But they’re still very much figuring things out, and they hold a somewhat mediocre 9-7 record as they prepare for a four-game road trip that starts on Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

One problem they have faced is injuries. Several players have missed multiple games as a result, and as a result, the team has been somewhat unable to build chemistry and cohesion.

After it looked like Los Angeles was trending toward full health, the injury bug hit it again. Key reserve forward Rui Hachimura will reportedly miss at least a week due to a nasal fracture that he has a procedure on.

Via ESPN:

“Already navigating early-season injuries to the roster, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered another setback Friday when forward Rui Hachimura underwent a procedure to repair a nasal fracture, the team announced.

“Hachimura did not accompany the team on its four-game trip starting in Cleveland on Saturday and continuing through Philadelphia, Detroit and Oklahoma City. He will be reevaluated by team doctors in about a week, the Lakers said.

“The injury occurred late in the first quarter of Wednesday’s 104-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which Hachimura had nine points on 4-of-11 shooting and three rebounds in 26 minutes.”

The Lakers are already thin at the wing and forward spots. Jarred Vanderbilt, one of their best and most versatile defenders, has been out since the preseason with left heel bursitis, although he may be inching toward a return. In addition, Cam Reddish, who has emerged lately as a viable role player, missed Wednesday’s contest due to groin soreness.

Multiple Lakers talk about the team’s lack of cohesion

Several members of the Lakers talked about how tough it is to handle players being in and out of the lineup game after game due to injury.

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 3-5 on the season with an embarrassing 128-94 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

As they have in a number of games this year, they showed a lack of effort, intensity and aggression. That combination led to them being outrebounded, 57-34 and to them being outscored in second-chance points (24-3), fast-break points (20-9) and points in the paint (68-42).

All those areas have been sore points for the Lakers to start this season. However, a new problem has developed: injuries and the associated problems.

With a number of players being in and/or out of the lineup since the exhibition season, including Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes and now Anthony Davis, the team simply hasn’t seemed to be on the same page.

After Wednesday’s game, a number of players spoke about this problem.

Anthony Davis will not play in Wednesday’s Lakers vs. Rockets game

Yet again, the Lakers will be short-handed when they take on the Rockets on Wednesday.

One reason the Los Angeles Lakers have a dismal 3-4 record to start the NBA season is they haven’t been at full strength. Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt have all been out lately with injuries. As a result, the Lakers have missed those players’ perimeter defense and scoring off the bench.

The injuries seem to be piling up for Los Angeles. In its Monday loss at the Miami Heat, Anthony Davis suffered hip spasms and had to leave in the third quarter. In addition, backup center Jaxson Hayes was unable to play due to a sprained ankle.

Davis felt confident he would be able to play Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. However, he will not take part in the contest.

Even worse, Hayes will also be unavailable, which means the Lakers will be seriously short-handed at the center position.

But the good news for them is Hachimura will be available. He missed four games after suffering an eye contusion and being in concussion protocol.

This will be the third game of a four-game road trip for the Purple and Gold. That trip will conclude on Friday against the Phoenix Suns, and that contest will also be the Lakers’ first in-season tournament game of the year.

Anthony Davis is questionable, Rui Hachimura is probable vs. Rockets

The Lakers may be just starting to get a little healthier.

So far this season, poor starts and a lack of defensive rebounding have plagued the 3-4 Los Angeles Lakers. However, injuries may be an even bigger problem.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino have all been out with various ailments. Even worse, the Lakers experienced a more serious injury scare when Anthony Davis tweaked his hip on Monday against the Miami Heat and was forced to leave the game in the third quarter.

Fortunately, Davis doesn’t seem to be seriously hurt. He expressed confidence he would be able to play on Wednesday versus the Houston Rockets, and he’s listed as questionable for that game. Even better, Hachimura is listed as probable, while backup center Jaxson Hayes, who missed Monday’s game, is questionable.

Hachimura has been out for L.A.’s last four games with an eye contusion while also being in concussion protocol. His return cannot come soon enough, as the team has lost considerable ground when LeBron James has gone to the bench.

Lakers will be without at least three rotation players versus the Magic

The Lakers will be shorthanded when they start a four-game road trip on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Lakers, coming off a thrilling overtime win on Wednesday over the Los Angeles Clippers, will start a four-game road trip on Saturday.

That trip begins with a contest against the Orlando Magic, a team they defeated on Monday, albeit in ugly fashion.

Los Angeles hasn’t been at full strength this season. Forward and defensive ace Jarred Vanderbilt has been out due to left heel bursitis. Rui Hachimura has been out for the last two games, while Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince missed Wednesday’s game.

Vanderbilt, Hachimura and Vincent will be out on Saturday, and Prince is listed as questionable.

The injuries have left the Lakers short-handed at the wing position and in the backcourt. The fact rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino has also been out lately with a right patella contusion has made that lack of depth even more painful.

Vincent is expected to miss at least two weeks, while Vanderbilt will be re-evaluated in about a week.

Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent will sit out Wednesday’s Lakers vs. Clippers game

The Lakers will be a bit shorthanded again on Wednesday when they play the Clippers.

The Los Angeles Lakers have an early showdown on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, a team they have had massive trouble defeating for the past decade or so.

Since the 2012-13 season, they have gone 7-36 versus the Clippers, which has made Clippers fans believe their team has taken over bragging rights in the Southland.

Unfortunately, the Purple and Gold, who are 2-2 on the season and are coming off a win on Monday over the Orlando Magic, will have to get it done while short-handed. They will be without the services of reserve forward Rui Hachimura, who will sit out his second straight game with a left eye contusion. He has been placed into concussion protocol, which is certainly concerning.

In addition, guard Gabe Vincent is out with left knee soreness.

After Wednesday’s game, the Lakers will have two full days off before they start a four-game road trip on Saturday against the Magic.

Rui Hachimura is doubtful for Wednesday’s Lakers vs. Clippers game

The Lakers may be a bit shorthanded on Wednesday against the Clippers, as Rui Hachimura is listed as doubtful for that game.

The Los Angeles Lakers improved to 2-2 on the young season with a win on Monday night over the Orlando Magic, but it wasn’t exactly pretty.

They lacked intensity, pace and oomph all evening, and there were several points at which it appeared the young Magic would possibly win. Los Angeles rode another dominant performance from Anthony Davis (26 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots), plus 28 points and eight assists from D’Angelo Russell, but the team will need more offensive punch moving forward.

It was without Rui Hachimura, who has an eye contusion, on Monday, and it could be without him once again on Wednesday when it takes on the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers traded for 2018 NBA regular season MVP James Harden on Monday night, and there seems to be a possibility he will play against the Lakers on Wednesday.