Austin Reaves may not have continued on his rapid upward trajectory that had him on the verge of a true star turn, but if there's one thing that Los Angeles Lakers fans love the most about Reaves, it's his fearlessness in big moments. On Tuesday night, Reaves was the biggest hero in second overtime of the Lakers' 128-124 win over the Milwaukee Bucks after he hit a clutch triple with 38 seconds to go to give them a three-point lead they wouldn't relinquish.
With LeBron James out, the Lakers needed strong performances from the supporting cast behind Davis, and that's exactly what they got from Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura. And with LA facing a quick turnaround before they head into their Wednesday night clash against the Memphis Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back, Reaves decided to finish the 19-point comeback that they started.
“At that point, it’s just shoot that s**t with confidence. We’re up against the wall. Double overtime and everyone is tired. Like, let’s go home,” Reaves told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
Austin Reaves had one of the best games of his career on Tuesday night, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, assuming the do-it-all role LeBron James usually plays for the Lakers. It's also important to note that his clutch shot against the Bucks is not the first time that Reaves has come up huge late in close games.
Austin Reaves shows off his clutch gene yet again
As one would recall, Reaves hit a magical game-winner against the Dallas Mavericks in his rookie season before he even broke out as a crucial piece for the Lakers. Back then, Reaves already showed that he already has that clutch gene. And then earlier in the season, it was Reaves that sunk a dagger three in the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament, sealing their 106-103 victory that was step one in their hoisting of the inaugural NBA Cup.
The Lakers have a few killers in the clutch that they can rely on; LeBron James has sunk his fair share of game-winners or go-ahead shots in his illustrious career, while D'Angelo Russell popularized the “ice in my veins” celebration for a reason.
Being in close games against the Lakers seems to be close to a death sentence, and the stats show it. They have gone 22-9 this season in “clutch” games as defined by the NBA, which is good for the second-best win percentage in the league this season, behind only the Mavericks.
The Lakers' playoff outlook
If there was ever a perfect time for the Lakers' supporting cast to step up, it's with the playoffs approaching. There are only 10 games left in the season, and seeing the Lakers' core trio outside of LeBron James pour it on amid his absence will provide hope for fans moving forward.
According to OptaSTATS, the trio of Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell combined for 92 points, 44 rebounds, and 24 assists, making them the first trio in NBA history since 1971 to tally 90/40/20 in a single game.
It's games like this that will give Lakers fans some shred of hope that they can still make the playoffs outright. It's not likely, seeing as they're three games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the sixth spot and they'll have to leap over three teams. But the Lakers have the sixth-easiest remaining schedule left, per Tankathon, so that should help matters especially once LeBron James returns to the lineup.
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