CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Starting forward Rui Hachimura and backup gaurd Gabe Vincent weren’t available for the Lakers’ game against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, but the team expects them to play again before the six-game “Grammy” trip concludes.
Hachimura missed his second consecutive game because of left calf soreness while Vincent sat out because of left knee soreness.
Vincent bumped knees with Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins during the third quarter of Saturday’s win to kick off the trip.
Hachimura missed Saturday’s game because of the calf ailment.
Monday’s game was the first night of a back-to-back for the Lakers, who face the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
From there, the Lakers will play the Washington Wizards on Thursday and the New York Knicks on Saturday before returning to Southern California for a matchup against the Clippers on Feb. 4 at the Intuit Dome.
“We expect to have them back on the trip, but I think the next two days for all the guys … we’ll just see how everybody feels [on Tuesday],” first-year Lakers head coach JJ Redick said before Monday’s game. “Gabe, he’s got a little bit of swelling and Rui’s still dealing with some soreness in the calf. But we would expect to have those guys back on this trip.”
With Hachimura sidelined, forward Dorian Finney-Smith started for the second consecutive game alongside Austin Reaves, Max Christie, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The aforementioned quintet entered Monday with a team-best plus/minus of plus-20 in their 29 minutes on the court together since the Lakers acquired Finney-Smith in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets last month.
“It’s a good fit just in terms of that sort of role of a spacer, crasher, defender, a switchable player,” Redick said of Finney-Smith’s fit with the starters. “And I think the big thing … his talk is just so important for our group. With that group, they all have competed against him. They respect them. They know who he is. He just kind of has embraced that.
“Our analytics guys, they say, lineup sort of data variation, you look for stabilization around 250 minutes. So we’re a ways away from making any grand proclamations about that lineup, but it’s been really good so far.”
FAMILARITY
Before becoming the Lakers’ coach, Redick also interviewed for the Hornets’ coaching vacancy last spring, with the team eventually hiring Charles Lee.
“I got to know [Hornets vice president of basketball operations] Jeff [Peterson] a few summers ago,” Redick said. “We played a round of golf together at summer league and I’ve known [Hornets co-Chairman and Governor] Rick [Schnall] for 20 years now from Coach K fantasy camp at Duke. Played some golf with Rick as well.
“My interest in this job was just feeling a level of comfort with ownership in the front office and obviously some exciting new players.”
The Hornets hired Lee in early May and the Lakers hired Redick in late June.
“I don’t know Charles – we actually spent a little bit of time in passing during summer league and during the playoffs when I was covering games for ESPN,” Redick said. “But that’s the extent of it. But, knew that he was probably going to get this job one way or another. He’s very qualified. He’s got great energy, great basketball acumen and I’m excited to see him grow. And for this franchise, he’ll be great.”