The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their fourth straight win on Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz. LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the way as usual, but once again, second-year guard Austin Reaves made a huge difference with another outstanding performance.
Reaves finished with 28 points and six assists in the Lakers’ overtime victory in Utah, making a number of big plays down the stretch. It is simply the latest excellent night from Reaves, who has scored in double-figures in 15 straight games, emerging as one of the most reliable players on the team.
After the game, Davis spoke highly of Reaves and his outstanding stretch of play, noting that he is locked in right now and giving the Lakers need on both sides of the court right now, via Spectrum SportNet:
“He’s doing everything we need him to do on both ends of the floor. A couple charges tonight, big shots, threes, everything. He’s been playing phenomenal for us and we’re gonna continue to need that the final three games that we have. But he’s just dialed in right now. He’s locked in to what we’re doing, he knows what need from him, he’s not scared to take big shots, he’s not afraid of the moment and it shows.”
Reaves has become one of the most indispensable players on the Lakers because he brings so much to the team. The young guard has become a reliable shot-creator and shot-maker while also turning into one of the best players in the NBA at drawing fouls. He is also a scrappy defender who isn’t afraid to mix it up with bigger players.
In 15 games in the month of March, Reaves averaged 17.4 points and 5.7 assists while shooting 54.9% from the field. His insertion into the starting lineup has given the Lakers a group that can do everything and Reaves’ improvement as a creator has helped to take the load off LeBron James since he returned from injury.
The Lakers are gearing up for a playoff run and in order to make that run a long one, they will need contributions from everyone across the board. Reaves continuing this run raises the Lakers’ ceiling overall and makes them a much more dangerous team overall.
Austin Reaves believes Lakers have gelled well since trade deadline
Because of all of the moves made by the Lakers’ front office at the trade deadline, the team has needed to adjust to each other and build chemistry on the fly. And Austin Reaves believes the team has done just that.
After a recent win, Reaves spoke about where the team currently stands on that front, noting that the Lakers are in a great space mentally and have gelled well. Reaves added that the Lakers enter every game with the confidence that they will come out on top.
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