The Los Angeles Lakers were missing the services of their key players like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Lonnie Walker for their match against Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Furthermore, Troy Brown Jr. had to make an early exit after suffering a left quad strain, to add salt to the injury for the Lakers.
To make matters worse, Denis Schroder rolled his ankle midway through the fourth quarter. With 5:41 remaining on the clock, Ham warned the German that he will take him off if he sees him limping in the rest of the match.
However, Schroder assured his coach to trust him and promised to deliver the goods for the team. Schroder led the team to a 112-109 win against the Heat with a season-high 32 points. Moreover, he added four rebounds and as many steals.
After the match, Darvin Ham revealed the conversation he had with Denis Schroder in the timeout during the fourth quarter.
“He got in the huddle and I told him, ‘Man, if I see you limping, I’m taking you out,'” Ham said, describing the Lakers’ timeout with 5:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, trailing the Miami Heat by three. “He said, ‘No. Leave me in the game. I’ll be all right, Coach. I’m good.’
“I said, ‘Well, be good.’ And then he said, ‘I’m not going to be good, I’m going to be great.’ Those were his exact words to me.”
Schroder suffered the injury after stepping on Bam Adebayo’s foot but kept playing to show great resistance for the team.
“I just try to be there for my teammates,” Schroder said. “I felt pretty good after [turning it]. Of course, it was sore and it hurt. But I know my limits.”
Ham added Schroder has all the competitiveness in his belly but he might feel the pain later.
“A lot of times, when your adrenaline is pumping like that, you don’t feel it,” Ham said. “But I’m sure, later on, tonight or in the morning, he’s going to feel that. Kid’s just a fireball of a competitor. And he showed that tonight.”
The Lakers will next take on Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
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