LOS ANGELES (AP) — The first five players to put up at least 45 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in one game for the Los Angeles Lakers were Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
The sixth is Austin Reaves, who hit those exact numbers while leading the short-handed Lakers to a 124-117 victory over surging Indiana on Saturday.
Reaves knows what you're thinking. He feels the same way.
“It looks weird when you see my name up there,” Reaves said with a smile.
It's getting less weird with each achievement by Reaves, who joined the Lakers undrafted out of Oklahoma 3 1/2 years ago. He has grown into a starter and a key contributor for his favorite team ever since he was a rural Arkansas kid who idolized Kobe Bryant and wouldn't let anyone dissuade him from his NBA dream.
When Los Angeles had to play without injured LeBron James and Luka Doncic against Indiana, the fourth-place team in the East, Reaves produced the most prolific game of his career to date. He hit 14 of 26 shots, made four 3-pointers and went 13 of 13 from the free-throw line while usually initiating the offense down the stretch.
Throw in those seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and Reaves was able to carry the depleted Lakers past a talented Pacers team. No wonder Reaves heard late “M-V-P!” chants from Lakers fans grateful they got to see something amazing even with James and Doncic in street clothes.
James has a sore left ankle, and Doncic wasn't quite ready for his debut. The Lakers were still in upheaval from losing Anthony Davis, Max Christie, Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish in two deadline trades — and now they're in even more upheaval after they rescinded their trade of Knecht and Reddish for Charlotte center Mark Williams later Saturday.
What's more, Reaves has a sore left elbow that easily could have kept him out of his historic game. He only decided to play through the pain moments before the pregame cutoff time — and the Lakers were grateful he did.
“I think he’s been as important as any player on our team,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I felt like he was the best player on the floor tonight, and that says a lot. He showed up in a big-time way.”
Reaves got off to a huge start against Indiana, scoring 11 points in less than six minutes. He finished the first half with 20, and he took charge again in the fourth quarter, starting it off with back-to-back 3-pointers before finishing the final period with 14 points.
It was a remarkable performance by a player who just set his previous career high of 38 against Brooklyn last month — but Reaves is the first to acknowledge his entire NBA career has been one surprise after another. He has filled multiple roles since he unexpectedly played his way into a Lakers roster spot out of training camp in 2021.
“The path that I took is not conventional,” Reaves said. “There’s probably only a handful of people that thought I would be in this position, if any. It wasn’t really the popular thing to do to continue to chase my dream. ... If I can inspire kids that’s in my situation to continue to chase their dreams, whatever it is, just do it.”
He's now much more than a surprise, however: Reaves has averaged at least 28 minutes per game in each of the past three seasons as a frequent starter — including all 44 games this season under Redick.
Reaves is also part of one of the most intriguing teams in Lakers history following their dramatic move to land Doncic, who could be Reaves' backcourt-mate for years to come.
While Doncic is expected to be the next centerpiece of the Lakers, Reaves has become extraordinarily valuable as well — and he's occasionally making history.
“It’s surreal, because I grew up a huge Kobe fan, so I was automatically a Laker fan,” Reaves said. “Just to be able to go out there and put the uniform on and compete, and then to have a couple of those games to where my name is in with those guys, is special. It’s something that I won’t take for granted.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
