"It was a part of our game plan" - Rui Hachimura opens up on late-game tactics which slowed down Nikola Jokic
Rui Hachimura did a great job of defending Nikola Jokic late in the fourth quarter of Game 1. Although the LA Lakers eventually came up short in the opening game of the Western Conference finals, Hachimura stated that the switch on Jokic was part of the defensive game plan.
The Lakers were facing the possibility of a massive blowout to close out Game 1 in Denver. It seemed as if the purple and gold were done and dusted as they were down by 20 points at one stage in the third quarter.
However, the fourth saw the Lakers go on a massive surge to cut the deficit to three points nearing the end of the game. While much of this can be attributed to LA's offensive execution, the Lakers actually did more work on the defensive end.
A noteworthy adjustment was having Rui Hachimura guard Nikola Jokic instead of having Anthony Davis guard him 1v1.
Hachimura may be undersized. However, his strength and positioning forced Jokic to exert himself and take harder shots. Additionally, this also meant that "Joker" had to be wary of Davis, who was now playing as a help defender in the paint.
The switch yielded a lot of success for the Lakers. Unfortunately, they still came up with a 126-132 loss.
After the game, Hachimura spoke about the defensive switch-up tactics.
He said:
(Watch Hachimura's comments from 1:10 onwards)
"It was a part of our game plan. We talked about it before the game, the coaches told me I was gonna guard Jokic. I think it was a pretty good plan and in the second half we did a good job on him."
Hachimura's efforts have given the LA Lakers a template to follow moving forward. With the hard-fought game coming to a close, the Lakers will have a lot to think about before Game 2.
Nikola Jokic can be contained
Nikola Jokic was nothing short of spectacular in Game 1. Tasked with running Denver's offense, Jokic delivered nothing but excellence.
Check This Out: Watch: Nikola Jokic hits insane buzzer-beater over Anthony Davis
"Joker" ended the night with an impressive 34 points with 21 rebounds and 14 assists. With his third consecutive triple-double, Jokic looks nigh unstoppable at the moment. However, Rui Hachimura's defensive work certainly gives his team an alternative to try and contain him.
Jokic went practically scoreless in the fourth. With Hachimura on him, the Nuggets superstar had a tough time positioning himself and an even tougher time getting a good look at the rim.
Although Anthony Davis did a tremendous job early on, the Lakers may want to consider restructuring their defensive sets against "Joker". As the heart and soul of Denver's offense, Jokic will also aim to outsmart the Lakers again in Game 2.
Nikola Jokic has a spectacular Game 1 as the @nuggets secure a 1-0 lead!
34 PTS (12-17 FG)
21 REB
14 AST
Game 2: Thursday, 8:30pm/et on ESPN https://t.co/hK0GG8l5Db