Austin Reaves‘ baseline drive and lay-up capped off an incredible 115-113 Christmas Day win for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Golden State Warriors. But after the game, Reaves revealed that the play was called for LeBron James. Seeing a chance to win the game, Reaves ignored the call, drove to the basket himself, and sealed the win. He also added that he would share the game ball with his parents.
“Man, I’mma be honest with y’all. That last play was not for me. It was for Bron. But I got the opportunity to go win us a game. That’s what ended up happening. That’s a big win for the team. Huge win. It’s Christmas Day.”
“I remember growing up, watching Christmas Day games with my family. I know my family is back home, sitting around, watching the games, opening presents. This is a big one for me, and for us as a team. I’ll remember this one for a long time. I made sure to get this one. This one’s definitely going to someone in my family. I would definitely lose it, but probably my mom or dad is getting this one.”
"I remember growing up watching Christmas Day games with my family." @SixtUSA | #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/CIwaed2iPm
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 26, 2024
It was certainly a bold call from Reaves to take the ball for himself when the play was called for James. After an intense back-and-forth game, for a player to ignore the coach’s play call and take a chance with the game on the line is a risky move. Had Reaves not pulled the move off, he would have been criticized heavily for this.
But we need not worry about what could have been and can focus on what was. Reaves’ incredible game-winner sealed an important win for the Lakers. It was the perfect end to a great game, not just for the Lakers, but for Reaves himself, who ended the night with a triple-double, putting up 26 points (8-20 FG), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and one steal.
Reaves Proving His Worth To Lakers
Last night’s game did not start well for the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis limped out after playing just seven minutes. The Lakers needed someone to step up in Davis’ absence to help them win this massive game. That is exactly what Reaves did with his triple-double.
It’s hard to imagine that just three years ago, Austin Reaves went undrafted and signed with the Lakers. But in those years, he has become a crucial part of their team, regularly starting. Reaves is without a doubt, the Lakers’ third-best player, and has shown time and again that he should be considered untouchable when planning for their future.
This season, Reaves is averaging 17.0 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field, 35.2% from range, and 79.5% from the free-throw line. This is the ideal level of production from a third option on a championship team.
The problem for the Lakers isn’t Reaves, Davis, or LeBron James. It’s the rest of their roster that fails to step up and deliver on a regular basis. And that is why, despite tonight’s win, they must focus on upgrading their roster through the trade market. Expect the Lakers to be big players in the market before the February 6th deadline.
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