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Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves
The Los Angeles Lakers had every reason to keep their expectations measured on Tuesday night. LeBron James was out for the third straight game with a hip contusion and left foot arthritis. Bigs Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber were also unavailable. Crypto.com Arena was the venue, but the team taking the floor looked nothing like the one the front office had imagined when the season began.
Waiting for them was the Minnesota Timberwolves, sitting third in the Western Conference. A team with real postseason ambitions and a point to prove on the road. The kind of opponent that exposes you when you are short-handed and off your rhythm.
For a quarter and a half, that is exactly what happened. Then Austin Reaves woke up.
Reaves Takes Over for the Lakers
Austin Reaves, Lakers, Austin Reaves return
GettyAustin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The first half was ugly. Reaves went into the locker room with two points, one made field goal, and a performance that looked nothing like the player averaging a career-high 23.5 points per game this season. The Lakers shot poorly, turned the ball over, and headed into the break tied at 45.
The third quarter was a different sport entirely.
Reaves came out and immediately attacked the paint, the approach that JJ Redick has consistently pointed to as the key to unlocking him. He converted a four-point play. Then another. He hit mid-range jumpers, found teammates cutting to the basket, and turned a tight game into a route. Twenty-nine of his 31 points came after halftime. The Timberwolves had no answer.
“Really it was he was able to get downhill,” Redick said after the 120-106 win. “That’s when he’s at his best. He’s a fantastic shooter, but he’s at his best when he’s touching the paint.”
Reaves finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Luka Doncic did his part with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season. But on a night when Los Angeles needed someone to take the game over, it was Reaves who answered.
“I think he’s just a great player,” Doncic said. “He gets to his spots, he tricks the defense, and that’s why he’s a great player.”
Reaves Sends a Message in the West
GettyLuka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.
This was not a throwaway win. Minnesota entered the night one game ahead of Los Angeles in the standings. By the final buzzer, the Lakers had passed them, moving into fourth in the West and claiming a potentially valuable tiebreaker over the team that eliminated them in last year’s playoffs. Three wins in a row. Six of their last seven.
Deandre Ayton stepped into the frontcourt void and delivered one of his best games of the season, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Marcus Smart provided energy and made timely shots.
Anthony Edwards was held to 14 points on 2-of-15 shooting. On a night when the Timberwolves needed their best player to carry them, he could not find his rhythm.
“It feels like we’re trending in the right direction,” Reaves said. “Just got to continue to stick to the plan. Continue to get better every single day and compete at a high level.”
Final Word for the Lakers
The record stands at 40-25. LeBron is still day-to-day. The schedule gets tougher. None of that changes what Tuesday night showed.
This Lakers team can beat elite opponents even when shorthanded. Reaves has reached a level where he does not just complement Doncic, he takes games over on his own terms. The Timberwolves found that out the hard way.
Chicago comes next on Thursday. For now, Los Angeles can enjoy what it built.
The upward trend is real.