Entering the weekend, there was excitement about the possibility of Luka Doncic making his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers.
ESPN flexed the Saturday game to accommodate Doncic’s potential debut, but the Lakers ruled him out as he continues to recover from a calf strain. To make matters worse for the national audience, LeBron James was also ruled out due to ankle soreness. Without its two stars, Los Angeles appeared to be a major underdog against a red-hot Indiana Pacers team.
However, the Lakers responded with one of its best performances of the 2024-25 season as they pulled together to beat the Pacers.
Without James or Doncic available, the ball was in Austin Reaves’ hands for most of the afternoon and he didn’t disappoint as he turned in his best game of the season. There were questions what the offense would look like without the stars, but Reaves made sure to keep it humming as he got whatever he wanted against the Indiana defense.
Reaves was fearless getting to the basket, absorbing contact and finishing at the rim for some crafty layups. However, he also bounced back from beyond the arc as he made the Pacers pay any time he got left open.
Reaves had his best scoring performance of his game, dropping a new career-high of 45 points to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Per the Lakers, Reaves is the 19th undrafted player in NBA history to record a 40-point game and just the second undrafted Laker to do so (George Mikan). Reaves also joins Kobe Bryant, Anthony Davis and James as the only Lakers to score 45 or more points in the last 20 years.
Reaves had some help in the scoring department as Rui Hachimura was a big boost offensively without the stars available. Like Reaves, Hachimura was able to find open space as a jump shooter and cutter along the baseline.
Hachimura also came up big with some timely baskets, including a lob at the end of the fourth quarter to seal the game. Overall, Hachimura finished with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field on his 27th birthday.
Jordan Goodwin, fresh off signing his two-way contract, provided a surprising spark off the bench. Goodwin had 10 points but more importantly was great defensively as the Pacers tried to make a late-game run.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers’ homestand continues on Monday against the Utah Jazz where Luka Doncic is expected to make his purple and gold debut.
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