Austin Reaves tested the limits of his approval rating among Los Angeles Lakers fans during Tuesday’s game against the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers guard made a puzzling decision during a transition opportunity with about two minutes left in the first half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. Reaves and Luka Doncic had a two-on-one break against Jazz guard Keyonte George.
Doncic gave the ball up to Reaves, who surprisingly decided to throw a lob to Doncic. George slapped the lob away and ended up colliding with Doncic in the air. Luka had an awkward landing and came up hobbling after the incident.
Austin Reaves throws lob for Luka Doncic and he almost gets injured pic.twitter.com/IMzPpNukiZ
— NBAbzy (@nbabzyy) November 19, 2025
Several fans expressed their frustration toward Reaves for throwing such a risky pass to a player not known for his aerial expertise.
reaves bro, why tf would you throw a lob to luka, with 2 defenders between him and the ball? like cmon man, the LAST thing we need is luka to get hurt.
— Stretch (@stretchtv_) November 19, 2025
the least qualified player to catch a lob seeing austin reaves throw that damn ball at them pic.twitter.com/rs6V2ei8Sa
— mclovin (@Iatenightangel) November 19, 2025
reaves brain needs to be studied why are you throwing a lob to luka
— issawinner44 (@whitewolfLC) November 19, 2025
However, the online heat against Reaves quickly subsided as Doncic was able to shake off the injury in the second half. The Slovenian superstar finished with 37 points and 10 assists in the 140-126 Lakers win. Reaves did his part with 26 points of his own
Putting aside the Doncic injury scare, Lakers fans had plenty to be excited about during Tuesday’s game, which also featured the season debut of LeBron James. The Lakers’ elder statesman recovered from his battle with sciatica to post 11 points and 12 assists across 30 minutes. The victory also improved the Lakers’ record to 11-4 through the first 15 games of the season.
Even in his advanced age and sciatica weighing him down, James probably would have been a better lob target for Reaves than Doncic.