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Darvin Ham and Taurean Prince shared a hug after the LA Lakers pulled off an upset over the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Playing without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers snapped a two-game losing streak by handing Boston just its third home loss of the season. Prince, who has been underwhelming this season, had a key role in his team’s surprising victory.
Austin Reaves had a game-high 32 points to lead the Lakers. D’Angelo Russell and Jaxson Hayes combined for 32 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists. Prince had 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.
The photo of Ham and Prince happily hugging after the said win had fans going wild on X (formerly Twitter):
“Tyrese Maxey is who Darvin Ham thinks Taurean Prince is this picture is killing me, man”
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Tyrese Maxey was dragged into the reactions because of the Philadelphia 76ers point guard’s impressive performance against the Utah Jazz on Thursday. The newly-named All-Star dropped 31 points in the first 24 minutes of the game, the most he has scored in a single half in his career.
Taurean Prince did not have the same scoring explosion but Darvin Ham was appreciative of the forward’s impact, particularly on the defensive end. The Lakers also lost defensive ace Jarred Vanderbilt to a foot injury late in the second quarter. Vanderbilt had been Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum’s main defender.
With “Vando” gone, it was Prince who had to do the unenviable job of taking on one of the NBA’s best players. The former Minnesota Timberwolves player held his own and helped limit Boston’s All-Star starter to 23 points on 8-for-21 shooting. Ham must have told Prince about the impact the forward had in the Lakers’ win.
Darvin Ham has kept his faith in Taurean Prince this season
Most LA Lakers fans thought Taurean Prince would be part of the bench when he was acquired in the offseason. Jarred Vanderbilt’s heel injury, which forced him to miss LA’s first 20 games, forced Darvin Ham to insert Prince into the starting lineup.
Prince kept the job even when “Vando” returned. Ham could have also chosen Rui Hachimura but opted to use the former Timberwolves player besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the frontline. Ham hasn’t wavered in his faith in Prince.
When the LA Lakers struggled after the NBA In-Season Tournament, Darvin Ham moved Austin Reaves to the bench. It was a decision that caused a furor in Laker Nation. The fans couldn’t believe that the emerging star was going to play sixth man.
Taurean Prince, meanwhile, stayed in the starting lineup despite moving Reaves to the bench. Despite strong criticism from Laker fans, Darvin Ham has kept the forward in the first five. With Jarred Vanderbilt injured, there’s likely no way Prince plays off the bench, particularly after his performance against Boston.
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