Without Luka Dončić alongside him on Sunday, Austin Reaves showed out with his best performance of the season.
After happily playing second fiddle most of the year, Austin exploded for his first big game this year, scoring 43 points to lead the Lakers to their biggest win of the season against the Pistons. From a shot-making standpoint, it was one of the better games of his career as he knocked down an array of ridiculous floaters, fadeaways and stepbacks.
In many ways, it was Luka-esque. And even
Austin admitted as much. To cap off a spurt midway through the third quarter, Austin beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer that banked in.
No, he didn’t do it on purpose. No, it wasn’t a good shot. And yes, it was some “bulls—” Luka would shoot, too.
“Obviously Luka is an incredible player and I think sometimes, when they’re playing together, AR kind of has to take a secondary role kind of,” Walker Kessler said. “But, as you can see now, he’s very capable. He’s a heck of a playmaker, a heck of a scorer and a competitor. He played great.”
It was an eventful night for Austin overall. During the first half, he got into a face-to-face chat with a fan after being knocked to the floor in front of them. At the time, it was unclear if it was a friendly conversation or one of warning for Austin.
Late in the game, Austin effectively sealed the win with a dagger 3-pointer with just under a minute remaining. He took some of the mystery out of the type of conversation he had with the fan by turning and pointing at him while waving goodbye.
But if you were looking for some kind of clarity on the specifics of the conversation and what was said, Austin, coyly, wasn’t playing ball postgame.
What happens on the court stays on the court, it seems. Unless you’re Yaxel Lendeborg.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
