The Los Angeles Lakers recorded a 121-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets yesterday, not only because of the scoring exploits of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves but also because of Marcus Smart’s solid defensive performance.
The one-time Defensive Player of the Year had 13 points, four rebounds, six assists, and seven steals on 4-for-9 shooting from the field in 37 minutes of action. According to the Los Angeles Lakers’ X (formerly known as Twitter) account, his seven steals tie for the most in a game over the last 29 years. Last night also marked his highest single-game steal total since 2017.
“It’s what he does and has been doing his whole career. He plays the game the right way. He plays hard as hell. Makes open shots, makes the right play. Obviously, defensively, everybody knows what he does,” Austin Reaves said of Smart via ESPN Los Angeles. “Very happy to have him on our team instead of on another team and playing against him.”
As of this writing, Smart boasts the third-highest steals per game average this season at 2.3. The Los Angeles Lakers combo guard is behind Oklahoma City Thunder’s Cason Wallace (2.5) and Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels (2.4).
Los Angeles Lakers News: Rui Hachimura also gets his flowers for his production this season
Marcus Smart was not the only unsung hero for the Los Angeles Lakers last night, as Rui Hachimura also came to play. Against the Charlotte Hornets, he 27-year-old forward had 21 points and three rebounds on 9-for-12 shooting from the field in 36 minutes of action.
“It helps us win games. A lot. But like I said… Maybe the Atlanta game, he was very underrated. Nobody talks about him, but he deserves a lot of credit in our wins. He’s been amazing for us, and the way he plays like every game, it just helps us a lot, especially to win games,” Luka Doncic said of Hachimura via Lakers Nation.
“I’m proud of my guy. Rui’s been doing such a good job on the offensive end, to see him pick it up on the defensive end has been a fresh breath of air for everybody. We knew he could do it and he knows he could do it. And we’re glad to see him accepting that and using his ability to be able to play both ends, offensively and defensively,” Marcus Smart added.
