The Los Angeles Lakers are on a winning streak again after they followed up their 107-96 takedown of the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena last Sunday with a 125-109 victory at home on Monday versus the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
Despite missing LeBron James for the fifth game in a row and playing on the second leg of a back-to-back set, the Lakers got the job done against the Spurs, thanks in large part to another stellar night by shooting guard Austin Reaves.
After dropping 28 points in the Suns game, the former Oklahoma Sooners star lit up the Spurs for 30 points on 12-for-21 shooting to go along with seven boards and six dimes. Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic had nothing but praises for Reaves after the contest.
"This guy just scored 30 in his fourth game in five days," Doncic said of Reaves during the postgame press conference following the win over the Spurs (h/t LoJo Media). "He's an amazing player. For him to go undrafted is unbelievable."
Doncic, who had 21 points and 14 assists in the Spurs game, was just a little off with his memory of Reaves' recent scoring barrage.
Monday's game was the second time in five nights that Reaves scored at least 30 points. He had 28 points in a 126-108 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks last Thursday before going off for 37 points in a 131-126 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Over the last four Lakers games, the 26-year-old Reaves has averaged 30.8 points on a 52.9 percent shooting from the floor.
But Doncic's point still stands.
Reaves has truly come a long way since he went undrafted in 2021 after playing his last two years in college with the Sooners. His break came when the Lakers signed him to a two-way contract and then to a two-year, $2.49 million deal that same year. In 2023, the Newark, Arkansas native inked a four-year, $53.83 million contract with the Lakers.
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This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 1:15 AM.