On April 16, the first round of the NBA playoffs (best of seven) took place in various locations, with the Los Angeles Lakers, the seventh seed in the Western Conference, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies, the second seed, 128-112. Rui Hachimura of the Lakers contributed to the victory with 29 points off the bench. His 29 points off the bench tied the franchise record for most points in the playoffs.

The Lakers took advantage of an injury to star forward Ja Morant that left the game midway through the fourth quarter and pulled away in the closing stages.

Also contributing to the Lakers’ score were Austin Reaves, making his playoff debut, who scored 23 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter alone, Anthony Davis with 22 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks, LeBron James with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and D’Angelo Russell with 19 points and seven assists.

It was the first time since 1988 that four or more Lakers players scored 20 or more points in the same playoff game.

Reeves said, “We’re all working hard. We have players like LeBron and AD (Davis) who have already experienced this position and are strong on the big stage. Rui also played great,” and expressed his delight, saying, “This is a great win for the team.”

The Milwaukee Bucks, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, lost their star player Giannis Antetokounmpo to a back injury in the first quarter and went on to lose their first game against the eighth-seeded Miami Heat, 117-130.

Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 35 points and 11 assists, Bam Adebayo added 22 points and Kevin Love added 18 points off the bench. (c)AFP