The Los Angeles Lakers may have fallen just short of an upset against the Denver Nuggets, but Austin Reaves refused to let the heartbreaking 126-121 loss dampen his spirits. Despite missing four starters—LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes—as well as key rotation players Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent, the Lakers put up a spirited fight against one of the best teams in the NBA.
Reaves, who shouldered much of the offensive burden, spoke postgame about the resilience of the team, his growing confidence, and what the team can take away from the tough loss. Reaves, who dropped a stellar 37 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, and 4 steals, was asked how he balances the pride of competing with the pain of coming up short.
“Yeah, I mean, you always want to win. And regardless of who you take the floor with, we feel like we could win. We put ourselves in a good position to do that. I missed a middie with probably 28 seconds left to go up two.”
“They came down and went to what they had been running for the last two or three minutes.”
“Dalton got on the high side because we were fronting Jokic, and he kind of walked him up, held him into the screen, and Jamal got a wide-open three and made it. So, you know, losing sucks, but I’m happy with what these guys in the locker room did tonight.”
It was a testament to the fight and spirit of this Lakers squad, which was playing its sixth game in eight nights and was visibly exhausted down the stretch. Reaves and Dalton Knecht (32 points, 5 three-pointers) carried the offensive load, but Denver’s experience and execution in the final seconds ultimately made the difference.
Reaves has grown into a major contributor for the Lakers, stepping up in key moments when needed. With LeBron and Luka both out, he embraced the responsibility of leading the team’s offense. When asked about his confidence in handling an expanded role, he remained humble yet assured.
“I think I’ve weirdly been confident for a long time. It’s just about being on the stage for the world to see. I tell you all the time, I just try to play the game the right way. When shots fall, it looks good.”
“When shots don’t fall, everybody’s ready to kill me. But everybody in the locker room did what they had to do to win, and unfortunately, we didn’t get it done. Still, they made it easy for me out there, just putting me in the right positions.”
Despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back, with a depleted lineup, Reaves had no hesitation in suiting up.
“Basketball is just fun. I’d be lying if I said that at some point—before the game or last night when everybody was trying to figure out if they were playing or not—I didn’t think, ‘We got how many rotation guys out? Bron, Jax, Rui, Doe, Gabe, Luka… a lot of guys.’ And then they told me to go play, so I went and played.”
The Lakers have now lost four straight games, dropping them to 40-25 on the season. They remain in the top six of the Western Conference but face an uphill battle in their final stretch of games, including 5 back-to-backs over their last 17 games.
Despite the tough road ahead, Reaves remains optimistic.
“We went 0-4, so it was a pretty bad trip. But like JJ said a week ago, everybody was saying ‘Lakers in 5.’ So we don’t listen to any of it. We know that when we’re fully healthy and have everyone available, we have a really good chance to beat anybody.”
“I just see this group coming together, locking in on one common goal, and that’s to win. Tonight is the biggest testament to that. Very short-handed, we went and played a really good basketball team with probably the best player in the world.”
“We went toe-to-toe and had an opportunity to win it. We just didn’t execute in the last 50 seconds, so I guess that’s what you take as a positive.”
"Losing sucks, but I'm happy with what these guys in the locker room did tonight."
Austin Reaves (37 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists) speaks with @LakersReporter and the media after the Lakers lose 131-126. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/BrtecHZMeG
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 15, 2025
With their playoff position hanging in the balance, every game down the stretch will be crucial. The Lakers will need to stay healthy, execute in late-game situations, and rely on players like Reaves to step up when called upon. If they can weather the storm, this battle-tested group could be a dangerous threat when fully assembled in the postseason.
The road ahead may be difficult, but the fight is far from over.
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