After missing the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason, Austin Reaves made his playoff debut for the Lakers in Game 5.
He received a loud ovation from Lakers fans and played like he didn’t miss a beat. Reaves was back, knocking down shots, drawing fouls and injecting the team with his try-hard energy.
The result didn’t go in LA’s way, as they lost to Houston, but after the game, Reaves talked about enjoying the moment and feeding off the energy the home fans gave him.
“As I ran
out tonight, for the first time in a long time, I got a really good chills feeling with the atmosphere, the crowd,” Reaves said. “And I think that’s just because when something you love is taken away from you for four weeks with an injury and then you get, like I said, thrown in the fire in a game like this. I could say I wouldn’t want it any other way, but I kind of do, but it was a lot of fun.”
Ideally, Reaves would’ve never gotten hurt and could’ve played in all these games, but the fact that he was able to come back and be this impactful immediately is a testament to his quality as a player and the competitive fire he has.
Austin Reaves’ return for Game 5 wasn’t a surprise considering that he was questionable for Games 3 and 4, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. With Reaves dealing with a Grade 2 oblique strain, which typically takes 4-6 weeks to recover from, the Lakers weren’t expecting him to play during the first round.
Not only did he come back earlier than expected, but if they advance to the second round, it’ll likely be because of Reaves’ play.
After the game, Reaves talked about the effort he’s put into getting back as soon as possible.
“It’s been a grind,” Reaves said. “I’ve been running around Los Angeles doing everything I could possibly do to get back to this moment. We’ve done it and it feels good. I love playing basketball. It’s my happy place and it was nice to get back out there. Obviously, I wish I played a little better. I wish I made a couple more shots. But at the end of the day, I had fun out there and it was good to compete.”
While Reaves’ return was the only good news the Lakers got from Game 5, it is a positive update. Reaves is back, played well, and if he can replicate that for Game 6, hopefully, it means there won’t be a Game 7.
These are the moments players live for, and thanks to his recovery, Reaves is in a position to have a special moment in this series and help LA finally eliminate this pesky Rockets squad.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
