Austin Reaves dropped a cold-blooded buzzer-beater on the Timberwolves to lead the Lakers to a 116-115 win in Minnesota. The Lakers nearly bottled what once was a 20-point lead in the game as the Timberwolves took the lead with nearly 10 seconds left to go.
After taking the foul on the first play, Reaves got the ball on the second inbounds play as well, with 6.6 seconds left on the clock. He drove in from his left, split the defense through the middle, and nailed a calm 15-foot floater to ice the game in the Lakers’ favor.
AUSTIN REAVES BUZZER BEATER FOR THE WIN! 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/NA4FtekICy
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 30, 2025
Following the shot, his teammates Luka Doncic and LeBron James took to the internet and reacted to Reaves’ game-winning shot in Minnesota. Subsequently, Reaves spoke to the media in the post-game press conference, where he addressed the shot as well as leading the Lakers without their superstar duo (James and Doncic).
“That one felt good, I mean, for obvious reasons, we won. The last time we were in this building, I had a shot to tie it in the corner, in the Playoffs, in Game 4, and I missed. Let me tell you, that feeling s**ks,” said Reaves while describing how his experience ensured he did not choke the crucial shot.
“We had a comfortable lead in the fourth, well, nothing is comfortable in the NBA anymore, but we had a lead in the fourth. They did a good job of getting back into it and taking the lead with 10 seconds left to go.”
“It’s easy to be down on yourself and frustrated. There were a couple of plays that I wish I hadn’t made in the fourth; I made a couple of turnovers. But just to have that opportunity to get us the road win, obviously, with a lot of people hurt, it was special,” said Reaves before crediting his teammates for their contributions as well tonight.
Reaves finished the game with 28 points and 16 assists, while shooting 37.5% from the field. Reaves has averaged 34.2 points, 10.0 assists, and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc in the first five games of this season.
But he also had solid support from Jake LaRavia in scoring as the new Lakers addition had his best game in the purple and gold jersey with 27 points tonight. Furthermore, a reporter asked Reaves to be honest about leading the Lakers without their superstars, Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
“Obviously, even when they’re playing, I put a big responsibility on myself. It’s different responsibilities, obviously, because they do so much for our team. But when we don’t have them, the responsibility changes,” said Reaves in an honest assessment.
“Physically, it is a little more, but mentally I’m always trying to figure out how I can help with them, too, and without them, too. It’s definitely different in terms of how I have to play and how I conduct myself. I can’t get frustrated, because at that time, everybody is looking at me. And in those situations, you have to be calm and confident and lead your guys through [adversity].”
“Like I said, we were up 10 or so and they went on a run. It’s not hard to kind of crumble in those situations. But you’ve got to keep the energy high and the spirit high. But saying all that, everybody, not just them two, please come back,” said Reaves exhaustedly in conclusion.
LeBron James is expected to be back in mid-November, while Doncic is expected to be back within the next few games in the coming week. Meanwhile, the Lakers are set to face the Grizzlies in their first NBA Cup fixture of the year on Friday, October 31, before heading home to face the Heat at home on Sunday, November 2.
