Austin Reaves was able to return to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup just before the All-Star break, though he came off the bench due to a minutes restriction.
Following the All-Star break, Reaves was finally freed from his minutes restriction and was re-inserted back into the starting lineup against the L.A. Clippers. The Clippers traded away starters James Harden and Ivica Zubac, but have still remained a competitive team under head coach Tyronn Lue.
While the Clippers put up a valiant effort, Reaves helped lead the Lakers to a hard-fought 125-122 win. Reaves poured in 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including going 4-of-5 from the 3-point line. He even drew an offensive foul on Bennedict Mathurin in the fourth quarter, resulting in the Clippers guard’s disqualification.
After the win, head coach JJ Redick called Reaves’ defensive play the biggest play of the game and praised his overall offensive performance.
“Yeah, I thought the charge was the play of the game,” Redick said. “Frankly, the second charge would’ve been the play of the game had made the right call, which they didn’t. And you know, they (Clippers) make a three, but you know, that was a huge play given the circumstances. He was fantastic tonight, you know, other than the two turnovers there and the third in traffic.
“He just played a super efficient night. I mean, look, Luka [Dončić] was fantastic, and I’m sure you’ll have questions about him. I thought [Marcus] Smart and DA (Deandre Ayton) in that fourth quarter were really difference makers for us. Smart was fantastic on defense all night. And then seven minutes left in the fourth or whatever it was, and he hasn’t taken a shot. We come out of a timeout, he makes a three, and then he makes another one. Then he gets the and-one. So, just huge from him. I guess it was a long two, but in my mind, it was a three. But, just huge stuff from him. Leadership in the huddles, all that. And then DA was great and very engaged and just was able to execute our defensive game plan at a really high level.”
Reaves looked exactly like the player that started off the 2025-26 season so well and showed why he was in legitimate All-Star consideration before going down with a calf injury. The Clippers boast a stingy defense, but Reaves was able to make them pay from outside and at the free throw line.
Reaves has a knack for manufacturing points, but he’s also a willing defender who competes on that end of the floor despite not being the most physical or athletic player. The charge against Mathurin came a crucial point in the game as him scoring would have put the Lakers’ in trouble.
For the Lakers to be successful the rest of the way, they’ll need all three of their stars to be playing at the highest levels. The Lakers don’t have much room for error given some of their defensive deficiencies, but offensively Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Reaves can hang with any other team in the league.
Austin Reaves discusses how healthy Lakers can gel for remainder of season
A clean bill of health has been hard to come by for the Lakers during the 2025-26 season as nearly every player has missed time. LeBron James missed the start of the year, while Luka Doncic has dealt with several nicks and bruises. Austin Reaves also had an extended absence due to a calf injury he re-aggravated on Christmas Day.
Now that the group is healthy, Reaves discussed how they can gel for the remainder of the season.
