The Los Angeles Lakers needed an extra five minutes to escape Salt Lake City with a victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. The Lakers got significant contributions throughout the roster, including from sophomore guard Austin Reaves.
Reaves played 42 of the game’s 53 minutes on Tuesday, finishing with 28 points on 8-for-13 from the field with six assists. He was a game-high plus-10 and was the game’s second leading scorer behind LeBron James. The Lakers barely survived with a two-point victory over the Jazz, who are now 36-43 on the season.
Reaves responded to potential criticism after the game regarding the Lakers needing overtime to get past a Jazz team that ranks No. 12 in the Western Conference, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“It was a dog fight from the get-go. They’re a super talented team and they play freely. It’s the NBA, you’ve got a lot of talent, everybody can do multiple things and they’ve got guys that are super talented. They made it really tough for us, obviously. You want to win every game by 30, but it’s not going to work like that.”
While the Lakers cannot be expected to blow out every team, especially those separated by less than five games in the standings, the need for an overtime could affect Wednesday night’s vital game against the L.A. Clippers.
The Lakers and Clippers are in a deadlock at 41-38 for the No. 6 seed and a Lakers win would be massive for avoiding the Play-In Tournament.
“It’s a big game and it’s the Clippers. That right there takes care of itself. It’s a team in the same city and like I said, it’s a big game. If you can’t get prepared for those then I don’t know why you play the game. It’s going to be fun.”
Reaves, here, dispels the thought that the overtime game could negatively impact the Lakers’ chances against the Clippers. Hopefully, the opponent and the stakes are big enough that the Lakers should have no issues finding motivation.
If the Lakers win, they are in full control of their destiny to avoid the Play-In Tournament and finish as either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. If they lose, it becomes likely that they will play in the Play-In Tournament as the No. 7 seed.
Clippers say Wednesday is biggest Lakers-Clippers matchup ever
Multiple Clippers, from Tyronn Lue to Ivica Zubac, have stated their belief that Wednesday’s matchup between them and the Lakers is the biggest between the two teams. With so much on the line both for playoff seeding and with regard to the ongoing city rivalry, it’s hard to see how players won’t be motivated.
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