The Los Angeles Lakers overcame a 19-point shortage in the final quarter to surprise the Milwaukee Bucks, defeating them 128-124 in double overtime.
They were led by Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves in their comeback efforts, with the latter drawing an explicit reaction from teammate D’Angelo Russell on social media after the event.
“Austin F****** Reaves,” Russell posted on X on March 26.
Reaves finished with a 29-point, 14-rebound, 10-assist triple-double – the second of his career – adding a pair of blocks and just one turnover.
He tied Davis with 16 points in the final quarter and both overtime frames, shooting 50% from the floor and logging eight of his boards and five of his assists during those periods. It was Reaves who led the way with nine points in the extra time.
He also made the go-ahead basket that secured the victory.
“There’s two things you can do: you can fold and go on to Memphis tomorrow, or you can man up and face the challenge head-on,” Reaves said during his walk-off interview. “To be honest with you, I feel a lot better at that point in the game than I did earlier in the game. Legs were heavy early. We got off to a horrible start.”
The Bucks outscored the Lakers 32-16 in the first quarter.
“We couldn’t find any momentum anywhere in the game,” Reaves said. “We just kept plugging away. … At that point, adrenaline takes over and i felt great.”
Reaves performed well with 4-out-of-11 from beyond the arc. But he also received praise from fans for his defensive efforts against Bucks star Damian Lillard. Lillard finished with 27 points, but he shot 31% from the floor and went 3-for-14 from downtown.
Austin Reaves Reacts to Anthony Davis’ Record-Breaking Performance in Lakers’ Victory
Davis finished with 34 points, 23 rebounds, four blocks, two assists, and two steals in 52 minutes. That is the most minutes by any Laker since Kobe Bryant in 2012.
Asked how Davis’ effort motivated the Lakers, Reaves was candid.
“He stayed in the game. I know he’s hurting,” Reaves said. “Every timeout, even when we were shooting free throws down there, he was in the corner down here. And his trainer was just working on him. That’s just another mind-over-matter type of thing. He wanted to continue to go to battle with us.
“Anytime he’s on the court, regardless of if he’s not scoring, if he’s scoring, rebounding; whatever he’s doing, he’s making an impact.”
That Davis was banged up during the game certainly underscores the feat.
LeBron James’ Status vs Grizzlies Remains Unknown
Davis and Reaves’ respective efforts came at a crucial time with the Lakers down LeBron James for the contest. He was ruled out with soreness from the ankle injury that has kept him on the injury report all season.
James’ status for the tilt against Memphis is still up in the air, per Head Coach Darvin Ham, who also praised the team’s collective effort on the night.
The Lakers are 2.0 games back of the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns for seventh and eighth place, respectively in the Western Conference standings. Both rivals suffered losses in their last outings.
LA’s four-game streak is equal to the Denver Nuggets for the third-longest winning streak in the Western Conference, just behind the rising Houston Rockets (nine games) and Dallas Mavericks (five games).
The Golden State Warriors, who won their last game, are 2.5 games behind the Lakers.
