Lakers' Rui Hachimura Says Nuggets 'Don't Have a Rim Protector' After Big 1st Half

Continuing his excellent postseason form, Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura found plenty of joy and space to operate in the first half of Thursday's playoff game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

The 25-year-old had a team-high 17 points over the first two quarters and a lot of that production came aggressively as he kept driving to the basket. He was 7-of-7 from the field and only one of those was from three-point range.

He thrived on some weak interior defense by the Nuggets as the Lakers' took a 53-48 lead into the locker room.

"Just trying to attack the rim," Hachimura told ESPN's Lisa Salters during his halftime interview. "They don't have a rim protector."

Although Denver outscored the Lakers in paint points in the first half, it had just one block to Los Angeles' four. And Hachimura took full advantage of what the defense was giving him.

He's given his team a much-needed boost in a must-win game.