The NBA In-Season Tournament is about to come to an end tonight, and we couldn’t have asked for a better finish. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are taking on the Indiana Pacers for the inaugural NBA Cup, as well as $500,000 per player. While people expected the stars to rise tonight, the Lakers got a huge boost from one of their bench players: Austin Reaves.
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The third-year player came into the game and got 12 first-half minutes. He did not waste any time and shot 7 of 9 from the field, registering a quick 22-point first half. Watching Reaves play got a lot of people excited, including Skip Bayless. He showed his excitement on Twitter.
Skip claimed that Reaves makes the Lakers a legit championship team. Then, just like clockwork, Skip connected it to LeBron and called him lucky to have Austin. Showering huge praise on Reaves, Skip equated the Lakers star to San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy.
“LeBron is so fortunate to have had AR come from nowhere as the NBA’s Brock Purdy”
Reaves has been a blessing for the Lakers, and they know it. Taking him on as an undrafted player in 2021 was an excellent decision. He showed up last year during the Lakers’ playoff run, just like Brock Purdy did. After Trey Lance got injured, Jimmy Garoppolo took over his starting spot. However, Jimmy hurt his foot in Week 13, and then rookie QB Brock Purdy took over. During his stint as the starting QB, Purdy turned from ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ to an actual threat. The same is the case with Reaves.
Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis are carrying the Lakers to $500,000
The Los Angeles Lakers have looked like the bigger, better team tonight. They’re bigger in size and are bullying the Pacers in the paint. In fact, at the time of this article, the Lakers have 64 of their 84 points in the paint. They cannot seem to buy a 3, and are 0/10 from the deep.
However, Austin Reaves’ 22 points have been a huge boost for the Lakers.
Anthony Davis has been a major contributor on both ends of the floor. He has 27 points on 12 of 18 shooting from the field. At the same time, he also has 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
LeBron James has been his brilliant self and has 20 points in the first 3 quarters. At the end of the 3rd, the Lakers are up 90-82. We’ll have to see if the Lakers can hold on to the lead and finish with the inaugural NBA Cup.
