After the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets on April 2, superstar small forward LeBron James said “these last four games are very important for our team.”
The purple and gold are in seventh place in the Western Conference standings.
“These last four games are very important for our team,” James said. “Not only in wins and losses, but in the chemistry side of it as well. We got to continue to build what we’ve been building over the last month or so. So we’ll see what happens.”
The Lakers are 40-38 on the season. They are 15-8 since the trade deadline. Los Angeles faces the Utah Jazz (twice), Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns to close out the regular season.
“We just want to put ourselves in position to be able to compete for a championship,” James said. “It’s a journey, and obviously, we don’t have as much chemistry as a lot of other teams trying to compete for a championship or that have aspirations to win a championship, but I like what we’ve been building over the last month or so.”
LeBron James Praises Rui Hachimura
James showered forward Rui Hachimura with praise after the Lakers-Rockets game. Hachimura scored 20 points off the bench.
“Game ball definitely goes to Rui for sure,” James said. “I mean, he was all over the floor, not only offensively, but defensively. Big time. A couple big-time blocks, rebounding out of his position. … I think he’s a rhythm player, and when he knows he’s going to play and he’s going to get a significant amount of minutes off the bench, I think he can be really, really good for us. I think coach [Darvin] Ham has done a great job over the last couple games, including the coaching staff, of finding a rotation that’s been fitting our team and Rui has been one of the first guys off the bench and we look for him. We know what he’s capable of.”
Hachimura is averaging 9.4 points and 4.7 rebounds with the Lakers while shooting 48.6% from the field and 32.2% from beyond the arc. He becomes a restricted free agent this summer. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in January that the Lakers acquired Hachimura from the Washington Wizards with the intention of re-signing him.
“Los Angeles acquired Hachimura with the intention of signing him to an extension this summer, sources said. Hachimura can be a restricted free agent,” Wojnarowski reported. “The Lakers believe that Hachimura gives them another sizable wing defender who has shown an ability to make corner 3-pointers and midrange shots when teams run the Lakers off the 3-point line. He has shot 40.8% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers over the past two seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and is shooting 35.1% on catch-and-shoot 3s over the course of his career.”
LeBron James on Anthony Davis: He’s Been on a Tear
Lakers star big man Anthony Davis scored 40 points against the Rockets. The eight-time All-Star is averaging 38.7 points and 11.7 rebounds over his last three games.
“AD was AD,” James said about Davis after the Lakers-Rockets game. “AD’s been on a tear.”
Davis is averaging 26.6 points and 12.4 rebounds on the season. Meanwhile, James is putting up 28.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. The Lakers are 92-48 since 2019-20 when James and Davis are in the lineup.
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LeBron James Puts Pressure on Lakers: ‘We’ll See What Happens’