The Los Angeles Lakers successfully defended home court on Thursday night with a 113-109 win against the New York Knicks. The Lakers' overtime victory couldn't have been made possible without a well-rounded team effort, however, it's safe to say that not all of JJ Redick's players did their part.
Austin Reaves, who missed the previous two games with a calf sprain, had a forgettable performance in front of the Crypto.com Arena crowd. The 26-year-old shooting guard only scored eight points while shooting 2-of-13 (15.4%) from the floor and 1-of-7 (14.3%) from deep, ending the night with the second-worst plus/minus rating on the team (minus-7).
Although some players would try to hide following a horrendous shooting performance like that one, that isn't who Reaves is.
Lakers News: Austin Reaves Owns up to Poor Shooting Performance
Reaves spoke to reporters about the Lakers' latest win during the post-game press conference. During the scrum, the former undrafted guard made it clear that he doesn't have any excuses for his abysmal showing.
"I just wanted to get back out there and hoop," Reaves said, per Lakers reporter Lauren Jones. "Tonight I didn't even really hoop — I was just out there."
I have a lot of respect for Austin Reaves. He is always the first to take accountability for his play on the court and follows it up with simply being better.
— LoJo Media (@LoJoMedia) March 7, 2025
No excuse, just produce! #Lakeshow pic.twitter.com/83aMewO1pq
Reaves' reaction is far from an exaggeration. The former Wichita State/Oklahoma product was largely invisible throughout the inter-conference clash and didn't even make his first basket until midway through the third quarter. After that, he didn't sink another field goal until he scored a 24-foot three-pointer two minutes into OT.
As much as Reaves would've liked to have had a strong individual performance, he's willing to move on because the Lakers picked up the win at the end of the day.
"Shoot, I gotta make one at some point," Reaves said about what was on his mind as he kept missing shots (h/t @LakersNation). "Pretty miserable performance on my part, but happy to get a win."
Hopefully, Reaves just needed a game to shake off some rust and he'll be better going forward.
The Newark, AK native has improved with each passing season since joining the Lakers, culminating in the four-year, $54 million contract he signed in July 2023. Reaves has completely outperformed his price tag as he's become a more well-rounded player this season. He's averaging career highs in points (18.9), assists (5.9), and steals (1.1) while adding 4.3 rebounds and .442/.358/.866 shooting splits in 54 games.
With four performances of 20-plus points and five-plus assists in his last six outings, there's a good chance that Reaves will return to form sooner rather than later. The Lakers will need the best he has to offer if they want to capitalize on their 2024-25 NBA Championship odds, which currently sit at +1300 (4th) on FanDuel Sportsbook.