With stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic sidelined, Austin Reaves delivered a career-defining performance, scoring 51 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 127-120 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Reaves, who nearly secured a triple-double with 11 rebounds and 9 assists, stepped up to fill the void left by the team’s injured leaders. His teammates had anticipated a monumental effort, with Doncic texting him before the game to score 60 and Jarred Vanderbilt telling him, “We’re going to need 50 from you tonight.”
The Lakers faced what could have been a letdown game following a significant win against Minnesota. James is expected to miss several more weeks with right sciatica, while Doncic was ruled out Sunday with a left finger sprain and a leg contusion. The team was also without Jaxson Hayes (knee soreness), and lost Gabe Vincent to an ankle injury in the second half.
Despite the depleted roster, Reaves ensured the Lakers remained in control. He scored with remarkable consistency, tallying seven points in the first quarter, 14 in the second, and 15 in both the third and fourth. He shot 12-for-22 from the field, including 6-for-10 from three-point range, and an impressive 21-for-22 from the free-throw line.
“Especially on a night where you don’t have Luka, you don’t have Bron… you got to go out there and be big for the team,” Reaves said. “I wasn’t in my head thinking, ‘You got to go score 50.’ It was, ‘Do whatever you can do to help the team win.'”
The performance included several milestones. Reaves became the 12th player in Lakers history to score 50 points, hit his 500th career three-pointer, and became just the eighth Laker to make 20 or more free throws in a single game. The most dramatic moment came with 23 seconds left, when Reaves, sitting on 49 points, stepped to the foul line. He later admitted to feeling the pressure, especially after recently teasing Doncic for getting stuck on 49 points in a previous game. “I ain’t gonna lie: I went to the free throw line, I’m like, ‘S—, I better not miss,'” he said.
Reaves’ scoring was complemented by a strong team effort. Deandre Ayton posted his best game as a Laker with 22 points and 15 rebounds, Rui Hachimura added 18 points on efficient shooting, and Marcus Smart, starting in place of Doncic, contributed 11 points.
Lakers coach JJ Redick emphasized the significance of the win. “I do think for this group it’s important to know that you can win a basketball game without those two guys,” he said, referring to James and Doncic.
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