Austin Reaves etched his name into the Los Angeles Lakers' record books Friday night, becoming the first player in franchise history to hit 15 three-pointers over a two-game span. Reaves’ hot shooting helped lift the Lakers to a 124-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, capping off a three-game homestand with a much-needed bounce-back victory following Thursday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Reaves finished with 30 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and a steal while shooting eight-for-13 from the field and six-for-9 from beyond the arc. The fourth-year guard has continued his strong late-season push, emerging as a consistent scoring threat alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Speaking postgame with Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Bresnahan, Reaves reflected on the historic shooting mark.

“It’s special…LeBron throws me good passes, Luka throws me good passes and I’m just shooting with confidence,” Reaves said. “That’s really it but it’s special.”

JJ Redick praises Austin Reaves’ confidence and growth during career-best season

Head coach JJ Redick credited Reaves’ growth and confidence throughout the season as a major factor in his recent surge.

“I think he’s just playing with a very high level of confidence right now,” Redick said. “The freedom that he’s played with for most of the season, if not all of the season, has allowed him room to grow and he continues to develop patience for when things aren’t happening early for him, knowing that he’s gonna end up with 15-20 shots, that’s just the way our team is structured. I thought last night was a great example of that offensively for him and he was terrific tonight.”

Reaves is currently averaging career-highs across the board in his fourth NBA season. Through 69 games, he is posting 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 45.8% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range. His production has reached another level in recent weeks. Over the last 15 games, Reaves is averaging 25.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 50.6% from the field and 41.6% from deep.

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The win moves the Lakers to 47-30 on the season, pushing them into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. They now sit a half-game ahead of the Denver Nuggets (47-31), who have dropped three straight after falling to the surging Warriors. Golden State has won five in a row and remains in pursuit of a higher seed with just a few games remaining.

Lakers prepare for pivotal road test against league-best Thunder

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) shoots against the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Crypto.com Arena.
© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Lakers will now begin a critical three-game road trip, starting with a two-game series against the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder (64-13). Oklahoma City has won nine of its last 10 games despite suffering a rare loss Friday night to the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles will face the Thunder on Sunday and Tuesday before traveling to Dallas, where Luka Doncic is set to face his former team for the first time since being traded to the Lakers on February 2.

Reaves discussed the challenge of facing the Thunder, praising their intensity and star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“It’s just a great test… they’re obviously a really good team with probably the frontrunner for MVP right now,” Reaves said. “So, the team that plays really hard every possession, guards at a high-level, and on the other end they play with space. Like I said, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] does what he does, but it's a good test for us to match up with the No.1 team in the West and it’s where we’re at right now to continue to try and prove that we’re a good team too.”

With the playoffs rapidly approaching, Reaves' shooting form and overall production may prove pivotal in the Lakers’ push to secure a top seed and build momentum heading into the postseason.