In a game where 4 future Hall of Famers graced the court, the Lakers-Warriors matchup last night saw an unlikely hero in Austin Reaves. A guard who went undrafted in the 2021 draft, rose to the occasion and was easily the most clutch player in the game. He owned the defining moment of the night after beating Andrew Wiggins in the paint to score the winning basket with just 1 second left. However, in the tunnel, after the game was won, Reaves revealed that the play wasn’t meant to be his, and he took over from LeBron James.
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Reaves’ night was spectacular in more ways than one. He became only the 10th player in NBA history to register a triple-double on Christmas Day. Speaking to the Lakers’ Twitter admin, he sheepishly admitted how coach JJ Redick had drawn the game-winner up for James, but because of good defense from the Warriors, the Oklahoma product had to improvise. He said,
“Man I’mma be honest with y’all, that last play was not for me. It was for Bron. But, you know I got the opportunity to go win us a game, and that’s what ended up happening. That’s a big win for the team, huge win.”
Austin Reaves reveals the final play was supposed to be for LeBron but he stole the show instead 😂 pic.twitter.com/2FjmTlnTPp
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 26, 2024
Reaves was coming in clutch for the Lakers all night, whether with his 3-point shooting or his passing. He found James for his 10th assist with 2:28 left on the clock, putting the visitors up 107-99.
Just last week, Reaves joked with teammate D’Angelo Russell about his bad luck on Christmas, as he was 0-3 before today. And there was no better way to register a first-career festive win than to put up a showstopping performance and get the game ball to boot.
When speaking to the media after the game, the Arkansas native admitted to getting a little emotional when he was speaking to the radio. He revealed how his family was watching his game from home, and how he was lucky to be in the position to play nationally televised baseball on Christmas. Reaves said,
“Yeah, I’m not really an emotional person, but when I was doing radio, got the game ball, there was a quick second where I thought I might tear up. But you know it’s Christmas, I know my parents are back home watching, my brother’s probably up in Germany watching. I say it all the time, I’m not necessarily supposed to be in this position, I got lucky. Now I’m sitting here on Christmas with the game-winner and a triple-double. Really the win that matters the most to me.”
"I thought I might tear up."
Austin Reaves got emotional thinking about his journey and all the love and support from his family on #NBAXmas 💛 pic.twitter.com/tgMNrr6uaU
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2024
Reaves’ time in LA has been a rollercoaster, but the shooting guard is slowly solidifying his position as the third star on the team. He’s been touted as a potential piece in trade deals for a couple of years now, but if his performance last night was anything to go off, Austin Reaves has all the makings of a cult hero for the Lakers fanbase.
