The Los Angeles Lakers were forced to play without the services of veteran forward Rui Hachimura for a stretch during the team's Game 2 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves after exiting the matchup following a blow to the face that needed further medical evaluation.
As we know, Hachimura was able to return to the floor after his brief absence in Game 2. Thursday, Lakers head coach JJ Redick confirmed that the former Gonzaga Bulldogs standout will be in uniform and available to play his normal role for the Purple and Gold in Game 3 as Hachimura will, once again, don a mask in order to protect his face against any further damage.
With Hachimura able to play through the pain and make the type of impact he did on Los Angeles' victory, it comes as no surprise that Redick was signing the forward's praises following the win for the Purple and Gold to even the best-of-seven series.
"He played like a warrior tonight," Redick said of Hachimura, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "I'm sure that he is probably in the X-ray room right now. There were a few plays that he made just getting deflections and disrupting plays. ... He was awesome."
In addition to making the type of plays highlighted by Redick that aren't always celebrated in the box score, Hachimura added 11 points, five rebounds, and two steals to help Los Angeles pick up a much-needed victory.
With the series now shifting back to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4, Hachimura and the rest of the Lakers roster will need to bring this same sort of mentality to the floor as nothing will be given to them in their two games at the Target Center.
We'll find out soon enough whether Los Angeles is ready to bring the same sort of fight to the floor in Game 3 as the Lakers and Timberwolves are set to square off at 9:30 p.m. ET with ESPN handling the national broadcast.