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Rui Hachimura leads Los Angeles Lakers in bounce back game vs. Miami Heat

Former Gonzaga standout matched his season-high with 23 points in the Lakers' come-from-behind win over the Heat
Cole Forsman|
Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Rui Hachimura helped the Los Angeles Lakers snap a three-game losing streak Wednesday night, as the former Gonzaga standout led the team in scoring en route to a 117-108 victory over the Miami Heat.

Hachimura matched his season-high with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. The 6-foot-9 forward also ripped down eight rebounds and recorded one assist on a flashy one-handed pass to LeBron James for a jumper from the outside. The NBA's all-time leading scorer finished with 22 points, as did Anthony Davis.

Not much had been going the Lakers' way as they headed into their first game back at Crypto.com Arena since having two games postponed due to the deadly wildfires in Southern California. Just days earlier, LA squandered a 10-point lead to the San Antonio Spurs after being outscored 25-9 through the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter. The Lakers' third straight loss marked their third three-game losing skid of the season, and prompted a rather blunt response from Hachimura regarding the team's play as of late.

"I think we gotta play harder. We gotta play for each other,” Hachimura said after the Spurs game. “I think the past three games, we kind of relied on our individual skills and all that. We just gotta start playing together again like we did in December and get back on track. It’s both sides, offensively and defensively, we’re not playing for each other right now. So we gotta kind of stick together and get back on track.”

It didn't seem like the Lakers had regained their groove early on in their matchup with the Jimmy Butler-less Heat, as Tyler Herro kept Miami in the driver's seat throughout the first three quarters. Davis and James spearheaded a strong end to the third quarter, though, before LA took the lead for good when Max Christie drilled a 3-pointer to make it 97-94 with 7:31 left in regulation.

Hachimura extended the margin at the free-throw line moments later, then made it 106-101 in favor of LA with a stepback 3-pointer with 4:53 remaining.

As LA got back in the win column, Hachimura had himself a bounce-back game as well. He scored just 15 points combined over the previous two games.

The Lakers hold the last automatic playoff spot as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with a 21-17 record. In 33 starts this season, Hachimura is putting up 12.2 points on 49% from the field and 42.5% from 3-point range (3.6 attempts per game). He's also pulling down 5.2 rebounds per game, which would be the most for Hachimura in a season since his second season as a pro with the Washington Wizards (5.5 per game).

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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