Rui Hachimura maintained his starting position against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Hornets 124-118.

In 29 minutes at Spectrum Center, the Japanese power forward averaged nine points and five rebounds as the Lakers advanced to 27-25 with their third consecutive victory.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham promoted Hachimura from the bench to the starting lineup on Saturday against the New York Knicks, 113-105, in lieu of Taurean Prince. Previously, Hachimura had been utilized predominantly off the bench.

Ham stated his intention to maintain the new lineup in post-Monday’s remarks, where he elaborated on the rationale behind selecting the 2.03-meter Hachimura over the smaller, more defensive-oriented Prince.

“Just coming out being bigger along the front line,” Ham commented. “It created a nice sense of balance.”

In the opposition to the Hornets, D’Angelo Russell of Los Angeles led the way with 28 points, while LeBron James and Anthony Davis each contributed 26. Miles Bridges of Charlotte recorded a game-high 41 points.

On Thursday, the Lakers will host the NBA champion Denver Nuggets.