Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves didn't hold back with a rather harsh criticism of his play on Monday.
The Lakers lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 111-108, with Reaves finishing the contest with 17 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field. He did record eight rebounds and 10 assists, but he still had the worst plus-minus rating (-10) on the team and in the game.
After the showdown, which marks the Lakers' second straight loss after an eight-game winning streak, head coach JJ Redick blamed the team's "very low-level communication" for the defeat.
Reaves, for his part, admitted that he's one of the reasons they lost, as he played "incredibly bad."
"I just thought I played incredibly bad," Reaves shared when asked about his shooting struggles, per Spectrum SportsNet. "It's frustrating not helping your team win. When Bron's out, I gotta be better, and I wasn't. That's one of the reasons we lost."
"I just thought I played incredibly bad… when Bron's out, I gotta be better, and I wasn't; that's one of the reasons we lost."
Austin Reaves talks with @LakersReporter and the media (17 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast) after the Lakers lose 111-108 to the Nets. pic.twitter.com/KwcJQpZkds
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 11, 2025
The Lakers are now 40-23 on the season with the loss, dropping them to No. 3 in the Western Conference standings.
Considering that the Purple and Gold only have a one-and-a-half game cushion from the seventh seed, they can't afford to go on a slump. Furthermore, with LeBron James out due to a groin injury, the Lakers really need Austin Reaves to consistently play at a high level.
The Lakers return to action on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks, providing the team an opportunity to rest, regroup and determine what went wrong against the Nets as they look to get back to the win column.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 12:54 AM.