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dave mcmenamin
minneapolis– Austin Reeves Wednesday managed to push himself once again, hitting a floater at the buzzer to cap a 28-point, 16-assist night. Los Angeles Lakers A win 116-115 Above minnesota timberwolves,
Reeves continues his dream week as he lifts L.A. luka doncic (injury to lower left leg and sprain to left finger) and Lebron James (Sciatica) He has been sidelined after dropping a career-high 51 points with 11 rebounds and 9 assists in a win over the Atlanta Braves. Sacramento Kings on Sunday and then led with 41 points portland trail blazers On Monday.
Reeves’ winning score on Wednesday came off a sideline inbound pass near center court with 6.6 seconds remaining. He immediately split a double team of two players with All-Defensive Team credentials. jaden mcdaniels And Rudy Gobert at the top of the key, then drove into the lane and threw in a floater from 12 feet while turning his body to avoid hitting the Wolves guard donte divincenzoWho was preparing to try to press charges.
Reeves said he “blacked out” after the ball fell through the net, and he sprinted across the court toward the Lakers bench, where he was surrounded by his cheering teammates.
“That guy’s going to show up in big moments,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I’m not surprised. He’s done it many times in his career.”
Reaves’ 16 assists tied the five-year veteran’s career high, and his game-winning shot saved the Lakers’ lead after the Wolves went on a 14–2 run over the final four minutes to take the lead with 10.2 seconds remaining. julius randall Driving scores, erasing a 20-point lead in the second half for LA
“Everyone is looking at me, and in those situations, you have to stay calm, stay confident and lead your people [it],” Reeves said. “We were up [by] 10 [points] Or it got so late, and they ran away. …It’s hard not to have some kind of fallout in those situations. But you’ve got to keep the energy high, you’ve got to keep the enthusiasm high.”
He led L.A.’s second win of the season against Minnesota, the team that had eliminated the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs in the spring.
Reeves said the postseason disappointments – L.A. was the No. 3 seed and Minnesota was No. 6 – were on his mind at night. The last time the Lakers played at Target Center in April, Reaves missed a tying 3 from the right corner at the buzzer and L.A. trailed 3-1 in the series.
“That felt good,” Reeves said of his heroics at the end of Wednesday’s game. “I mean, for obvious reasons, we won. But the last time we were in this building, I had a shot to tie it in the corner in the playoffs in Game 4, and I missed.
“Let me tell you, that feeling sucks.”
Just as the Lakers felt when their hopes of a long postseason run were dashed, Reeves’ run has filled this group with inspiration, not only shutting out Doncic and James and climbing above .500 at 3-2, but marcus smart (right quadrilateral fusion), gabe vincent (sprained left ankle), maxi kleber (abdominal muscle strain) and adou thier (Recovery from left knee surgery) is also not available.
“Honestly, I’m just very proud of this group right now,” Redick said. “From where we were three weeks ago, we’re in limbo and with guys missing training camp and guys being modified participants, we’re starting to come together. And I’ve asked a lot. I’ve asked a lot of these guys and I’m asking a lot of them while we’re short-staffed and they’re working.”
Reaves distributed his assists to a variety of teammates, leading four other Lakers to score in double figures. Jake Laravia (27 points on 10-for-11 shooting), deandre ayton (17 points on 8-for-11 shooting) and Rui Hachimura (17 points on 7-for-14 shooting) in the starting lineup and Dalton Connacht (15 points on 7-for-12 shooting) off the bench.
“We wouldn’t have been in that situation [to win] If it weren’t for everyone involved tonight,” Reeves said. “Jake was monstrous. I think this is the best basketball game I’ve seen him play since he’s been in the league.”
Laravia, who chose to sign with the Lakers as a free agent in the offseason because of his close relationship with Reaves, said the team has no problem taking cues from Reaves while its All-Star recovers.
“He’s a dog, he’s a leader, he’s a competitor,” Laravia said. “He helps bring us together in all the tough times during the game. And he’s been leading us the last few games in which our players have fallen out and he’ll continue to do that.”
And keep adding pages to his storybook basketball existence, entering the league undrafted in 2021 and now, four years later, having scored the second-most points of any player through the first week of the season, trailing only . oklahoma city thunderReigning NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,
“I fell in love with the game because my brother loved it, I got to spend a lot of time with him. Both of my parents played, too. It was kind of… it was meant to be,” Reeves said, recounting how he declared at age 7 that he would play in the NBA someday. “It’s been a fun week. But there’s a lot of basketball left to be played.”
