JJ Reddick on Austin Reeves’ ‘extraordinary’ blast with new injury
Austin Reaves he didn’t lose a step. If anything, he might find a fifth while he was away. In only his second game, he returned from a a grueling five and a half week absence due to a lower leg injury, Los Angeles Lakers the security guard held a master class on Thursday night.
Reaves torched the Philadelphia 76ers for 35 points in just 25 minutes, leading the Lakers to a huge 119-115 victory at Cripto.com Arena. The performance left the head coach of the Lakers JJ Redick searching for superlatives.
“It’s amazing what he was able to do tonight in his second game at guard,” Redick told Lakers reporter Mike Trudell. While Reaves was deadly from deep, knocking down five 3-pointers, Redick pointed out his aggressive and explosive drives as a catalyst for a comeback in the second half.
Coming off the bench due to a strict minutes limit, Reaves looked anything but limited. He shot an incredible 12 of 17 from the field, sparking a 21-6 fourth quarter run that turned the tide. His back-to-back 3-pointers to open the final frame gave Los Angeles its first lead of the night, a lead they would not relinquish despite a late scare by the Sixers.
The Lakers needed every bit of Reaves’ post-superstar production Luka Doncic is out of the game in the first half with a pain in his left leg. With Doncic ejected, LeBron James stepped up with 17 points and 10 assists, while Rui Hachimura hit a clutch dunk in the final seconds to seal the deal.
On the other hand, Joel Embiid matched Reaves with 35 of his points, and Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points and 13 assists. However, the Sixers couldn’t survive a Reaves-led offense after blowing a 14-point lead.
For a Lakers team that has dealt with a revolving door of injuries all season, seeing Reaves play with this much pop is a huge sigh of relief. If this is what Hillbilly Kobe looks like on the minutes limit, the rest of the Western Conference should probably start taking notes.
2026-02-06 06:44:00
