Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Lakers upset the Orlando Magic thanks to a career night from undrafted player Austin Reaves, who drew MVP chants from the home fans.
The 24-year-old Reaves concluded the contest with a game-high 35 points in 30 minutes of bench time. He maintained his modesty when questioned about the “MVP” chants from the crowd during the post-game press conference.
He finished the game with the most points (9 for 14), adding a half-dozen rebounds and assists. His only flaw was his deep ball shooting, missing three of his four attempts.
Reaves will be remembered for more than just his 35 game-high points. Viewers were astounded by how he managed to pull it off. He had a few standout plays, including a behind-the-back pass and a deft layup, that kept the fans interested.
Austin Reaves, who led the Lakers with a career-high 35 points and made 16 of his 18 efforts from the free throw line in addition to six rebounds and six assists, was the reserve who most exemplified this. He made nine of his 14 field goal attempts and 16 of his 18 free throw attempts. Austin found ways to get solid shots for himself or his teammates while playing more on-ball minutes than he has all season. When he wasn’t able to do that, he drew contact and went to the free-throw line.
Austin was effective in hitting his pull-up jumper and effectively negotiated a defense that didn’t exactly match his style, whether he was snaking pick-and-rolls, driving in isolation, or simply riding his defender into his sweet spot.