The Los Angeles Lakers took on the Memphis Grizzlies in their first playoff game on Sunday. The Lakers put up a fighting performance considering their bumpy journey in the regular season and sealed the game comfortably. 5x NBA Champion Magic Johnson, moved by the game, didn’t restrict himself from praising his former team with a flurry of tweets. Moreover, Johnson penned a special message for Rui Hachimura for turning up the heat on Sunday. On the other hand, Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane raised an open challenge against the Japanese star after the game. 

The Purple and Gold team turned around their fortunes in the second half of the regular season. Notably, the team barely stayed afloat in the top 10 seeds of the Western Conference. The LA side had their outburst post the trades in February. Especially Hachimura made a significant impact since his arrival from the Washington Wizards.

Magic Johnson showers praise on the Japanese star

After the dominating finish to the first game of Round 1, Magic Johnson took to his Twitter and shared his insights. Notably, Hachimura’s performance moved the Lakers legend. In one of his tweets, he wrote, “Hachimura saved his best for just the right time in Memphis!” Moreover, in another tweet, he praised the rising star for leading the scoreboard for the team.

Additionally, Johnson dedicated separate tweets to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves to praise them.

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Moreover, the legend put forward a bold take on the outcome of the Lakers-Grizzlies series. He said, “If the @Lakers continue to play like this,  they can beat Memphis and anybody else in the West!” Following are the tweets shared by the Lakers legend.

The Lakers rolled into town and stunned Memphis with a scintillating display of basketball. The best part about this for Lakers fans was that neither James nor AD had to go off to snatch a win. It was a complete team effort with four guys scoring 20+ points.

Desmond Bane’s open challenge to Hachimura

Rui Hachimura emerged as the star of the game as he led the scoreboard for the Lakers with 29 points. Hachimura’s performance inspired the Lakers, but it didn’t impress Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane. After the game, Bane addressed the media and said, “It’s probably the best game of his career. It’s a seven-game series. Let’s see if he can do it again Wednesday.”

This isn’t the first time Hachimura faced such comments. Shaquille O’Neal expressed his ignorance about the Japanese player with a harsh comment a few months ago. If people still doubted the 25-year-old, this game definitely put him on the map.

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What do you make of Rui Hachimura’s 29-point outburst on Sunday? Will he be the Los Angeles Lakers star for the playoff? Let us know in the comments below.