The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers are locked in a fierce battle at the Crypto.com Arena right now. While the game was still going on, it ended prematurely for one of the Lakers, who played admirably tonight. We are talking about Rui Hachimura, who walked off during the 3rd quarter of tonight’s game.

After scoring from a turnover in the 3rd quarter, Rui Hachimura gingerly made his way to the locker room. He didn’t collide with anybody, nor was he fouled. And it’s always concerning when a player walks off like this. Later during the game, the announcer informed us that Hachimura would not be returning for the rest of the game. The Lakers later confirmed this, saying he’s OUT for the rest of the game with a knee strain.

And now, Dr. Evan Jeffries, known as the GameInjuryDoc on X, has given us some additional details regarding Hachimura’s injury. “If it’s a true strain that means it [is] muscular vs joint (quad or patella tendon)  If it was “knee sprain” that would be a ligament issue,” wrote Dr. Jeffries in his post on X. Meaning, Rui has an injury to his quadriceps muscle or his patellar tendon. But even though we now know the nature of Hachimura’s injury, the severity of his injury is yet to be determined.

Even JJ Redick is unsure of how badly Hachimura is hurt. But he did say we’d know more in the next 24 hours. “I’m not going to speculate on the severity of the injury. I’m hopeful it’s nothing serious,” said Redick after the game.

However, getting the win over a team like the Minnesota Timberwolves will please JJ Redick and his men. So, let’s see how they did in tonight’s game.

Lakers cruise to 111-102 victory over Minnesota Timberwolves despite Rui Hachimura injury

The Los Angeles Lakers are now on a 4-game winning streak after tonight’s win. JJ Redick is doing a bang-up job as the head coach. Any concerns we had about Luka and LeBron struggling to work together seem like a distant memory. And even though they lost Hachimura in the middle of the game, this was still a relatively easy victory for the LA side.

3 players on the Lakers squad scored more than 20 points tonight. Unsurprisingly, LeBron James led the Lakers in scoring, dropping 33 points. He also led the game in rebounds and assists, with 17 and 6, respectively.  It’s as if LeBron forgets that he’s 40 sometimes!

Luka Doncic also looked incredible tonight, dropping a 20-point double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. But his linkup play with his teammates was the secret sauce that led to the Lakers winning so comfortably. The cross-court pass to James during the first quarter, in particular, was a joy to watch. Clearly, Luka is finding his form as a Laker, and it’s only upward from here.

Despite a worrying collision with Ant in the 3rd quarter, the criminally underappreciated Austin Reaves managed to finish tonight’s game with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Reaves is now averaging a career-high 19.2 points this season. Is he the best third option in the league right now?

Nevertheless, the Lakers imposed their will on the game almost immediately and never lost their lead. However, the T-Wolves did give them a scare when they made a 13-1 run in the fourth quarter after being down 92-77. However, Luka Doncic brought their momentum to a screeching halt with an off-balance three-pointer. Sadly for the T-Wolves, they couldn’t go 2/2 when it comes to miraculous late-game comebacks this week.

All in all, it was a great day at the office for the Lakers. Even though they looked shaky at moments, their defense held up well. However, the injury to Rui Hachimura will still concern them, given the tough schedule ahead. Let’s hope we hear something soon!