LeBron James and Luka Doncic were overjoyed to watch Austin Reaves take over the reins of the Los Angeles Lakers in their absence and lead them to a thrilling win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Austin Reaves just hit a buzzer-beater in a game where the Los Angeles Lakers made it evident that they’re playing without their two best players. If it wasn’t for Reaves, the Lakers would’ve bottled a 20-point lead against a Timberwolves team playing without Anthony Edwards.
The game finished at 116-115, as No. 15 for the Lakers hit a floater and sealed their victory in the final seconds of the game. Reaves had an exceptional game from a playmaking standpoint, scoring 28 points, 16 assists, and a rebound as well, shooting 37.5% from the field and 27.2% from the three-point line.
This was his worst shooting game this season, but he was an ace playmaker throughout and made the one shot that mattered the most. Reaves has averaged 35.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists, shooting 57.3% from the field and 42.9 % from the three-point line.
AUSTIN REAVES WINS IT FOR THE LAKERS IN MINNESOTA 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/qftaDRTenE
— ESPN (@espn) October 30, 2025
Jake LaRavia was the other star that shone bright for the Lakers. The power forward had a career game, scoring 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting (89% from the field) and grabbing eight rebounds. DeAndre Ayton also had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Even though the Lakers struggled without James and Doncic, they were able to figure out a functioning system and edge out the Timberwolves. Both superstars reacted to the win through their social media handles.
Doncic posted a goat emoji on X right after the game ended, indicating how highly he thinks of Reaves’ game.
🐐
— Luka Doncic (@lukadoncic) October 30, 2025
“A-MUTHAF**KIN-R!!!!!!!!!!!!!” James wrote on his X, passionately celebrating the buzzer-beater. Both gentlemen can see that Reaves is becoming a true first option in their absence and is really showcasing his full potential.
A-MUTHAFUCKIN-R!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 30, 2025
But it should not be forgotten that the Lakers almost let this get out of their hands. With six seconds to go in the game, it was unclear whether the Lakers would be able to pull this one out, as they’d let Julius Randle go on a ten-point run towards the end.
The former Knicks star put up 33 points, five rebounds, and six assists, shooting 50% from the field and 57.1% from the three-point line. He had a stellar game, bringing Minnesota back from the jaws of defeat with a 14-2 run, but Reaves had other plans. Reaves seems to have become a player for the big moments after dominating the stat sheet over the last few games.
The former undrafted free agent was challenged by head coach JJ Reddick to take up ownership and leadership of the locker room. He was asked to look at this team as his team, as much as one thinks it is Doncic’s team or James’ team. It looks like Reaves, who’s also playing towards a potential supermax contract, took it to heart.
Now he’s laying it all out on the court, and the head coach could not be happier. With a lot of holes in their game and a lot of faces missing from the court, the Lakers would appreciate adding this one to the win column.
