Austin Reaves has built quite a close friendship with Luka Doncic even though they've been teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers for a little less than nine months. The two always have quite a hilarious banter with one another, with Reaves clowning Doncic after he missed a free-throw on Friday night during their 127-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves — putting him just one point shy of his first 50-point game as a member of the Purple and Gold.

On Sunday night, with Doncic being declared out for a week with multiple injuries, the onus was on Reaves to lead the Lakers' offense against the Sacramento Kings. He ended up with the best game of his career to this point — 51 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists on 12-22 shooting from the field, 6-10 from deep, and 21-22 from the charity stripe.

But Doncic is surely laughing somewhere that Reaves nearly ended up with the same fate as him. Reaves, who has the entire world as his oyster, admitted that he felt some pressure at the foul line as he approached the 50-point mark as his joke towards his Lakers co-star nearly backfired.

“I ain't gonna lie, I went to the free throw line. I'm like, s**t, I better not miss,” Reaves said, eliciting a laugh from the press room, via Khobi Price of So Cal News Group.

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With 23 seconds left and the game basically over in favor of the Lakers, Reaves was fouled intentionally as the Kings, with their last gasp, tried to mount a comeback. He did end up swishing both free throws, making him just the fifth Laker player since 2000 to score over 50 points (joining LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Anthony Davis).

For as much as Reaves and Doncic love to clown each other, no one in the world is happier for the former than the latter after he willed the Lakers to a much-needed victory despite being shorthanded.

Austin Reaves, Lakers lay the smack down from the foul line

© Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

The Lakers were playing with house money on Sunday, and it was evident that they were playing like they had nothing to lose. Reaves was ultra-aggressive and shot 22 free throws, channeling his own inner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the process.

But as a team, the Lakers shot brilliantly from the foul line. They made 41 of their 46 freebies (89.1 percent), and it was more than enough to compensate for the Kings' 30-point advantage on three-pointers (18 made 3s for Sacramento, just eight for LA).