Basketball: Hachimura says Lakers must adjust after Game 2 loss

The Los Angeles Lakers were outmaneuvered and outworked by the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series and must "figure out" how to respond to the defending NBA champions, Japanese forward Rui Hachimura said Thursday.

Hachimura was one of the few bright spots for the Lakers in their blowout 127-100 loss at San Francisco's Chase Center, scoring 21 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

Golden State squared the best-of-seven series 1-1 after bringing more shooting into their starting lineup, replacing Kevon Looney with stretch big man JaMychal Green. The Warriors defense also clamped down on Lakers center Anthony Davis following his dominant Game 1 performance, limiting him to just 11 points.

"They changed their starters, and offensively they opened up the floor," Hachimura said. "It was hard for us to guard four shooters, and defensively they were more aggressive. They had all the loose balls and rebounds."

The Japanese men's national team star continued his hot shooting in the playoffs, hitting 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.

"It (the shooting) was all good looks," said Hachimura, who has made 55.6 percent of his three-point attempts this postseason. "My teammates had good passes, and I was just ready to shoot. It was like a practice shot for me."

The Toyama Prefecture native drew some tough defensive assignments on the opposite end, including matching up at times on constant perimeter threat Klay Thompson, who poured in a game-high 30 points on 8-of-11 shooting from deep.

Hachimura said the Warriors had made "good adjustments" following their Game 1 loss, and the Lakers needed to adapt accordingly for Saturday's Game 3 when the series relocates to Los Angeles.

"The next game is very important for us," Hachimura said. "They made adjustments, and we've just got to figure out the way to guard them. We've just got to play together, watch film and get back (in) Game 3."

© Kyodo News