Austin Reaves’ Career High 45 Points Helps Lakers win Fifth in a row

On February 9, 2025By Littum

Maybe it wasn’t the moment everyone expected, but it was still a moment. A basketball season is 82 chances for a player or team to do something special, whether it’s the first time Luka Doncic and LeBron James play together as teammates, or whether it’s a random Saturday game without any of them.

In the event that Saturday would be the first moment for James and Doncic, ESPN flexed into a national broadcast only to see them at the end of Lakers’ bench, both in sweat. Even Center Mark Williams, Lakers’ second entry of the tempted deadline, was not available, his trade for the team still pending.

Austin Reaves, who fought even for a handful of injuries, entered that void and got the most out of a moment for himself and played one of his best games in a 124-117 Wind towards Pacers.

“It will do,” JJ Redick said of Reave’s game.

Reaves scored a career mound 45 points, dancing past the defense on the perimeter, hit from deep, came to the free-casting line and even threw a two-handed dunk. Playing with a tender left elbow along with hip and back pain from a fall against the Golden State, took Reaves on the high binding role, which is probably not there for him, comes Monday when Doncic is expected to make his debut and James should be back after Being excluded early Saturday due to the tenderness of the ankle.

Austin Reaves Dunks over Indiana's Andrew Nembhard in the fourth quarter Saturday.

He joins Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and James as the only Lakers players who have at least 45 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a game.

“It’s surreal because … I grew up a Kobe fan, huge Kobe fan, so I was automatically a varnish -fan,” Reaves said. “So just to be able to put the uniform on and go out there and compete and then, as you said, to have a few of these games where my name is with these guys is special.

“It’s something I don’t want to take for granted, but yes, I know it really looks weird when you see my name up there.”

Rui Hachimura scored 24 points to go with nine rebounds on his 27 -year birthday and punctured the game with a big can to seal the victory.

Lakers led 44-22 after an almost perfect first quarter, with the team getting the most important minutes from two-way players such as Trey Jemison III and the newly signed guard Jordan Goodwin.

Lakers’ list of Saturday had veteran Markieff Morris and his teammates who count the cabinets with uniforms in them, the team trying to find out if Jemison should be active so that Lakers could have the smallest amount of players in uniform. Jemison scored six of his eight points in the first half. And Goodwin, forced to work in the fourth quarter because Gabe Vincent finished the game on the bench with ice on his left shoulder, scored 10 points in his first NBA game this season.

Lakers Spider Rui Hachimura is buried by Pacers -Guard Andrew Nembhard while trying to drive his way to the basket.

Indiana made several pushes in the second half, but Lakers and Reaves never supported the team held to win for the 11th time in his last 13 games.

And there was no way it would have happened without being reappeared with grabbing his moment – someone who came one evening, he almost joined James and Doncic on the bench.

“I think that once you come at the moment of the game, the atmosphere feels, adrenaline begins to pump,” Reaves said. “Then it’s when it gets easier. But before I woke up this morning, it was tender everywhere, especially the elbow. “

It was yet another moment in a story full of unlikely, Reaves, who went from the unveiled Rookie to influence role -playing to key starter on a team that now has realistic expectations to fight a championship.

“I didn’t really do anything in high school, but go to the gym, not party, not drink or something similar,” Reaves said. “I just held on to basketball and chose that route. I know I had teachers in high school who told me that I had to find out a plan B because plan A would not work. I’ve been told that a million times.

“And I might not have been smart enough to understand it because it is a very small percentage (of players) that comes to this level. I was probably naive when they told me and were like ‘screw y’all. I find out. ” ‘

On Saturday he did it again, the limelight solely on him.