Reaves, Hachimura Impress NBA Fans in 1st Half as LeBron James, Lakers Face Kings

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The Los Angeles Lakers are attempting to extend their winning streak to three games with a Western Conference showdown against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, and the role players did their part in the early going.

While LeBron James and Anthony Davis draw the majority of the headlines and defensive attention for the Purple and Gold, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura did the heavy lifting in the first half against Sacramento.

Reaves got off to a blazing start and stuffed the first-half stat sheet with 19 points, three rebounds and two assists behind 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 shooting from deep. Hachimura was also impressive with 17 points and three rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.

Their performances drew reaction from social media:

Reaves has been an excellent third or fourth option for the Lakers in the middle of a career-best season. He entered play averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds a night, which are all career-high marks.

There have been times when he has taken over as an offensive playmaker even when James and Davis are on the court, just like he did in the first half.

Hachimura hasn’t been quite as impactful as Reaves, but he still entered play averaging 12.5 points per game as an important secondary piece. If the Lakers are going to challenge the top teams in the Western Conference come playoff time, they are going to need him and others to produce when defenses focus on the stars.

Even with Reaves and Hachimura playing well, the Lakers still found themselves trailing the Kings 60-56 at intermission.