Without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, nobody was expecting the Lakers to win against the top team in the East. But thanks to a masterpiece from guard Austin Reaves, the Lakers came out with a 114-105 win in TD Garden, moving back to .500 on the season in an expected turn of events.
Shorthanded but got it done … in Boston.
Austin Reaves: 32 pts (7/10 3P)@hayes_jaxson: 16 pts, 10 reb, 3 stl@Dloading: 16 pts, 8 reb, 14 ast @rui_8mura: 15 pts, 8 reb@taureanprince: 11 pts, 8 reb@JVando: 10 pts, 7 reb, 3 stl pic.twitter.com/bAn3xHS9VU
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 2, 2024
It was a fine performance from everyone on the Lakers’ side, with props to D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes for stepping up and filling in the missing gaps left behind from the absence of the stars. On Boston’s side, it was a rough performance from pretty much everyone on the team, and a rare display of poor shooting from the starters, who combined to shoot 7 for 27 from deep. Outside of Jayson Tatum, no Celtics player scored over 17 and Sam Hauser was the third-leading scorer off the bench in just 23 minutes of action.
Whether it was just one of those nights for the Celtics or a true turnaround moment for the Lakers is still up for debate but it certainly makes things more interesting for both teams down the road. For the fans, many of them were happy to see Reaves go off, but it didn’t do much to dispel any concerns long-term about the season.
Lakers Fans React To Unexpected Win
On one hand, wins never come easy in the NBA and it’s always smart to accept it and move on. For most Lakers fans, that’s exactly what they did tonight as they celebrated Austin Reaves’ incredible 32-point performance. The hype was real for him after the game and it was just good to see him finally see his hard work paying off.
AUSTIN REAVES TOP 10 NBA PLAYER ALL TIME DONT @ ME 🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/s46eGHj3hA
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) February 2, 2024
A lot of Lakers fans took pleasure in beating their age-old rivals, especially since this is a game that they undoubtedly should have won.
NOTHING FUNNIER THAN A CRYING CELTICS FAN 💀 pic.twitter.com/44al5wh2fq
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) February 2, 2024
The craziest part about the whole thing is just how well the Lakers played without James and Davis, and some fans are wondering if their absence had the effect of bringing out the most in the role-players.
The Lakers Vs Celtics with no Lebron or AD: pic.twitter.com/WbzTOxuZP3
— The Pettiest Laker Fan 🤫 (@ThePettiestLA) February 2, 2024
Whatever the case, Thursday’s win was much-needed for the Lakers, who head to New York on Saturday for a game against the red-hot New York Knicks. With the season already getting out of hand, the margin for error is slimmer than ever before and the Lakers need to play every game with the utmost urgency.
LeBron Trade Rumors?
Looming in the background of the Lakers’ win is the noise of a potential move to Los Angeles. As the team considers their options at the deadline, it seems not even LeBron James is safe from relocation and it’s got the entire NBA buzzing. If James is traded, it could shake up the NBA hierarchy for years to come, and it could make or break the future of the illustrious franchise.
From now through the deadline, expect pressure to be at an all-time high for this team as they attempt to play through their on-court struggles amid various rumors, reports, and trade scenarios happening right behind their back. For the first time ever, James might be a part of one of these deals, but it will all depend on how the Lakers play from here through February 8th.
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