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Lakers vs Cavs starters pic.twitter.com/d9w0SAA3Ky

— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) April 6, 2024

With the Rockets loss tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers officially clinched a spot in the play-in tournament. They could still make their way into the playoffs and out of the play-in, but they’re assured of not falling further than 10th in the West.

— Tristan (@TBeckmann24) April 6, 2024

Left Corner:
Dinwiddie 64.3% (14)
Max 47.5% (33)
Reddish 44.8% (29)
Rui 44.8% (58)
DLo 42.9% (42)
Prince 39% (82)

Right Corner:
Lebron 56.5% (23)
Dinwiddie 53.8% (13)
Rui 44.1% (34)
Vanderbilt 42.9% (14)
Reaves 42.3% (26)
DLo 40% (25) https://t.co/5aF48qHlj4

— LAbound (@LAbound2) April 6, 2024

Rui Hachimura is the secret sauce behind the Lakers' turnaround https://t.co/9OSc1b1Yh9

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 6, 2024

The 26-year-old may not get the touches or recognition his teammates do, but Rui Hachimura is making the most of every opportunity with the Lakers.

Not too cold and not too hot, Hachimura has been just right next to the Lakers’ star front court.

He’s made enough progress on defense to help take on the opposition’s best scorers while also being mindful of his off-ball responsibilities as the low man. And when the miss happens, Hachimura has been noticeably more active on the glass.

“I think the way he’s making the most strides is his defense,” Ham said following the Lakers’ win over the Wizards on Wednesday. “His communication, his ability to guard the ball, he’s getting better and better at keeping the ball in front (of him) and defensive rebounding. Those are the areas where I’m extremely proud of him.”

Hachimura may never be as dynamic a defender as Vanderbilt, but at 6’8” and 230 pounds, he has the frame and explosiveness to make things difficult. The same rings true when it comes to rebounding.

Given how physically small the Lakers’ starting backcourt is and James’ inconsistent effort in ending defensive possessions, Hachimura being more of a presence on the boards has helped take some of the massive responsibility off of Davis’ shoulders.

Aloha,

The Lakers hada huge night and didn’t even play. The Kings lost to the Celtics but the Celtics almost blew it. They pulled their starters out at the 6 minute mark and the Kings went on a 21 to 2 run and lost by one. If the Celtics lost this game I would hate them even more than I already do. We are now tied with the Kings but because of the tie breaker we need to win one more game than the Kings. With all their injuries and some tough games left we are right there.

The Pels also lost to the Spurs. They are ahead of us by only one game. We currently hold the tie break with one game remaining with them. They also have injuries and some tough games remaining. If we beat them in the last game again we only need to win one more than them.

The Warriors also lost to Dallas without Luka. We now are a full two games ahead of them.
Their schedule is easier than ours, so our last game with them will be huge.

The last game that mattered was the Suns TWolves game. Unfortunately that one isn’t going as well. The Twolves are down 13 at the beginning of the 4th. We hold the tie break with the Suns, so we would need to win two more games then the Suns, which probably would require us winning out. The Suns schedule is tough but they are playing well.

Of course the 6th would be ideal. I think we would have a better chance for a deep run if we could finish 6th. LeBron would get 6 days of rest, as would Austin. He admitted he’s dealing with fatigue. After the long playoff run, the summer with team USA and playing every game this year. Yes he could use
The time off. Finally it give Vando 6 more days to ramp up which would be huge.

Oh, we did clinch a play in today as well. But that was pretty much a given. Still the 7th or 8th is still very achievable but we need to keep winning.