Austin Reaves spoke to reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 107-96 win over the Phoenix Suns. When asked about building chemistry with Luka Doncic, Reaves noted that he and Luka are getting the chance to play more minutes with each other, which is helping them build their on-court chemistry. He shouted out Luka for the attention he draws, which helps the team on a nightly basis.
“On-court chemistry is a real thing. Anytime that you can log more minutes together, you’re gonna figure out how to play with one another… When you play with him, you’re going to get good looks. He draws so much attention. Shoutout to him; he played a hell of a game tonight.”
Both Reaves and Doncic dominated the Suns tonight, putting on an elite backcourt performance. Luka put up 33 points (8-20 FG), 11 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in the win. On the other hand, Reaves delivered 28 points (10-21 FG), four rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block to help the Lakers get the massive victory.
The two combined to score 61 of the Lakers’ 106 points, over half their scoring total. The duo also outscored the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, who combined for just 44 points on the night. It’s clear that Reaves and Luka are starting to find their rhythm together and are forming one of the best backcourt partnerships in the NBA.
If the two players continue playing at this level, the Lakers might be able to turn things around this week as they look to make their way up the standings in the West.
They currently sit fifth with a 41-25 record in the West, just two wins shy of the Rockets, Nuggets, and Grizzlies, who are all tied at 43-25 for the season. When the Lakers play the two games they’re behind by, they could realistically leapfrog all those teams to go from fifth to second in the West.
Austin Reaves On Big Lakers Win
Reaves also spoke about the Lakers’ win tonight in general. He noted that while the Lakers started the game off hot, they did start to loosen their grip on the game around the third quarter. At that point, the Lakers started to lose their rhythm and needed to hold on to the lead so that they could see out the Suns and get what was a much-needed win for them at home.
“We fought, played a really good first half. Not so good in the third quarter. From there, things kinda get a little out of rhythm out there, you just gotta figure out how to get away with a win. We needed that going 0-4 on the trip. It’s good to get a win, hopefully, we can get on the right side of playing good basketball. It’s the game.”
The Lakers welcomed back Jaxson Hayes tonight, who played a big role for them with 19 points (6-10 FG), six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. Hopefully, they can get their other players like LeBron James and Rui Hachimura back in the lineup in the next few weeks as they look to close out the season strong.
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