Rui Hachimura claims control after LA beat Warriors, Kings

LOS ANGELES – Flashback to the start of the season for one of Marcus Smart’s earliest media sessions as a member Los Angeles Lakershe revealed a saying he has for every game. That is, ‘the toughest team makes the rules.’ This essentially means that the more physical team determines the way the game will go. The Lakers they did not always do good job in adhering to that quote, but Rui Hachimura believes that it has gotten better in recent games.

The Lakers dominated from start to finish back-to-back wins against the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kingsthat is, Much of those wins depended on the Lakers coming off an early lead and asserting their will in terms of physicality. It’s playing tough defense, rebounding after turnovers, hitting the glass hard and the little things that don’t always show up in the stats.

“I think when we did that today in the game (against the Kings), the game (against the Warriors), I think we set the tone. That’s why we were able to control the whole game,” Hachimura said after the win against the Kings. “So I think we’ve got to keep doing things like that. I think sometimes we kind of do it and then we stop doing it. So we just have to keep working. We’ve got to make those plays and those little things. We’ve got to keep building.”

Hachimura returned to the Lakers’ lineup against the Kings after a brief two-game absence due to illness. He had a somewhat solid game, finishing with eight points while shooting 2 of 4 from the 3-point line in just over 22 minutes.

He has come off the bench since returning from a calf injury in mid-January. Hachimura appeared in 48 games, including 31 starts, with just over 29 minutes per game. He averaged 11.7 points and 3.4 rebounds on 50.1 percent shooting from the field, 44.1 percent from the 3-point line and 74.5 percent from the free throw line.

But the Lakers as a whole toughness and physicality begin with Smart. He often sets the tone for the defensive end of the court, and that’s a big reason why head coach JJ Reddick decided to stick with Smart in the starting lineup after Hachimura’s return.

After the win against the Kings, Redick made sure to single out Smart for his impact on the game.

“I told the team afterward, I thought Smart’s defense … just completely torched us at different times in the game,” Redick said. “He finished with five steals, but he’s jumping the floor for turnovers. He’s starting transition plays for us. He’s switching to the five, he’s setting it up completely … he’s been another spark plug for us.”