The Los Angeles Lakers are clawing their way up to being a .500 team. They are only three games behind and are almost in the playoff spots. Much of it comes down to tonight’s win against Oklahoma City, a charge led by Austin Reaves.
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The sophomore who went to college in Oklahoma took to the floor to beat the team convincingly. It was not all certain because a Shai-Georgeous Alexander-less team was leading against the 2020 champions.
A tightly contested first half saw OKC lead by 3 points, which quickly shifted in the Lakers’ favor. At the end of the third, the Lakers led by 5, and that stayed the same at the end of the final buzzer. A lot of it goes down to the chemistry built by the Lakers team, and Austin Reaves confirms that is what got them to the finish line.
Austin Reaves credits the team for tonight’s win
After the game tonight, Austin Reaves sat and spoke to the media. During his talk with them, Reaves pointed out what helped them secure the win over Thunder.
“Tonight we took a big step chemistry wise,” said Austin Reaves, with LAL forced to figure things out on the fly without LeBron, AD and Russell on the floor.
Reaves stepped up with 19 points and 4 assists on 5 of 5 FG’s, and was 8 for 8 at the line before missing his last.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 2, 2023
The Lakers needed to change a lot of things after a humbling loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Winning 3 games after the trade deadline, the Lakers saw a stumbling block hit them in the face, losing talisman LeBron James to an ankle injury. They had lost D’Angelo Russell too, and after the loss against the Grizzlies, AD went down too.
Darwin Ham suddenly lost their big 3, and their roster looked bare again. But he made changes, bringing in Mo Bamba for cover. He also had Vanderbilt for big rotation minutes, and the chemistry was there to see. The rotation worked wonders for the team, and they got to work quite well!
Also Read: “Great Win Fellas”: LeBron James Showers Love for Lakers Hard-Fought Win as He Watches From Home
Reaves was the star of the show – his performance was otherworldly
After scoring 19 points from just five attempts, Austin Reaves had a near-perfect night from the floor. He missed only one free throw at the end of the game, otherwise, he was perfect.
He was at his clinical best, providing many highlights for the Instagram Reels.
Austin Reaves with a near perfect night yet again.
5-5 from the field
1-1 from deep
8-9 from the FT line
The dude can ball 🥵 pic.twitter.com/ozWqnTP14b— Hoops Videos (@HoopsVids) March 2, 2023
Austin Reaves buckets pic.twitter.com/FnorZkqksy
— Yunel Dudley-Betts #PerSourcesENT MEDIA (@YunelDudley) March 2, 2023
Austin Reaves when it’s time to do some trash talking pic.twitter.com/zjthWOjWfw
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) February 26, 2023
AUSTIN REAVES TONIGHT
⭐️ 19 points
⭐️ 4 assists
⭐️ 100% FG
⭐️ 100% 3P
⭐️ 89% FTNEAR PERFECTION #LAKESHOW pic.twitter.com/LUWI4hBEWy
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) March 2, 2023
Austin Reaves stole the show, but don’t forget the other players and their contributions. Everyone played their part and was equally important in a season-defining win. The Purple and Gold army can become a playoff team soon if they play this way.