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The Los Angeles Lakers played the Indiana Pacers at home Saturday night without LeBron James and with Luka Doncic still not in uniform. But the Purple & Gold still got the job done, thanks in large part to the incredible performance of Austin Reaves, who put on a show versus the Pacers.
The 26-year-old Reaves lit up Indiana for a career-high 45 points while adding seven boards, seven assists and three steals to show the Lakers the way to their 29th win in the 2024-25 NBA regular season.
The Lakers celebrated Reaves' huge night with a proper social media post following the game, sparking lots of reactions from the fans.
“Austin Reaves masterclass,” said a commenter.
Another one said: “White mamba 🔥🔥”
“Luke + Lebron + Austin reminds me of the “pick your poison” Warriors lineup from their championship run,” commented a social media user.
“Huge bounce back game for AR15. Let's go!” noted a fan who must have known that Reaves entered the Pacers game on the heels of a salty shooting night against the Golden State Warriors. Reaves scored 23 points in that contest but he was just 4-for-17 from the field and missed all of his nine attempts from behind the arc. Against the Pacers, the former Oklahoma Sooners star drained four of his nine 3-point tries from the 3-point area.
Via another fan: “SLEEVED AUSTIN IS DANGEROUS BABY”
Austin Reaves stepped up for the Lakers
Reaves made the most of the absence of his four-time NBA Most Valuable Player in the game, with James sitting out the date with the Pacers with an ankle issue. The Lakers gave Reaves 41 minutes of playing time — his most since getting 43 minutes of floor time in a late-December win at home over the Sacramento Kings.
It is also worth noting that Reaves' incredible performance came just a game before Luka Doncic is expected to make his debut for the Lakers.
There was a buzz about Doncic potentially playing in his first Lakers game on Saturday but Monday's showdown against the Utah Jazz at home is now being projected as the date the Slovenian superstar makes his first on-court appearance as a full-blown Laker. It will be interesting to see how Doncic's and James' returns will affect Reaves, but there is no denying that the Newark, Arkansas native is an important Los Angeles piece.
