The Los Angeles Lakers are vying for their fourth consecutive victory, as LeBron James enjoys another big night in Thursday’s Western Conference showdown with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The fans are not all smiles, however. Rui Hachimura suffered a non-contact injury while dunking the ball and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest with a knee strain, per Dan Woike of the LA Times.
The 27-year-old forward has played a key role in the Lakers’ recent success, so this is obviously unsettling news. He finished with five points and three rebounds in 18 minutes versus the Wolves. This marks the second time in the last five days that Hachimura suffered an injury scare.
The former top 10 draft pick is a key floor spacer, averaging 13.5 points while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range, but he is also a frontcourt presence on a squad that is lacking size after trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic. While Los Angeles has been playing great basketball regardless, it cannot afford to see its rotation shrink much further.
Maybe head coach JJ Redick will have some fairly optimistic news to share regarding Hachimura’s condition, the kind that will allow Lakers fans to rest a little easier. LA jumped on Minnesota early and seemed to be heading toward a straightforward home win after Anthony Edwards incurred his 16th technical foul of the season and was ejected in the third quarter. The Timberwolves once again clawed their way back, however.
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