What once was a joke has now very much become a reality. When Desmond Bane challenged Rui Hachimura to basically “do it again” after his performance in Game 1 of the playoffs against Memphis, the #PlayoffRui hashtag was a fun joke that spawned largely from that.
Technically, Rui hasn’t matched that point total since, but he’s been absolutely impressive for the vast majority of the postseason. While the Golden State Warriors proved to be a poor matchup for Rui, the other two series against the Grizzlies and Nuggets have seen him flourish.
Hachimura had his third game in double figures against Denver on Saturday, scoring 13 points on 5-12 shooting in 34 minutes despite the Lakers falling in Game 3.