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Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles between Obi Toppin and Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers.
LeBron James dropped a one-word reaction to Austin Reaves‘ career game that propelled the Los Angeles Lakers to an improbable 124-117 victory against the Indiana Pacers without him and Luka Doncic.
“Problem!!!!!!!!” James posted on his Instagram story.
LeBron James via InstagramLeBron James hyped after Austin Reaves’ career game.
Reaves was the Pacers’ biggest problem as they couldn’t stop him.
The undrafted guard shot 14-of-26 from the floor with seven rebounds and seven assists as he became the youngest Lakers player to get 40 points, five rebounds and five assists in a game since Kobe Bryant did so in 2006, according to ESPN.
“It’s surreal because I grew up a huge Kobe fan so I was automatically a Laker fan,” Reaves told reporters.
Reaves also joined Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Bryant and James as the Lakers players to have 45 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a single game.
“Just to be able to put the uniform on and go out there and compete and have my name in with those guys is special, something that I won’t take for granted but it looks weird when you see my name up there,” Reaves told reporters.
Reaves set the tone for his career night and the Lakers’ improbable win with 14 points in the first quarter to open a 44-22 lead. He made his first four shots capped by a stepback 3-pointer that gave the Lakers a 24-12 lead.
“Anytime that happens, it’s a good feeling,” Reaves said. “It’s much better than going four for 17.”
That was Reaves’ field goal shooting struggles two nights ago against the Golden State Warriors.
This time, he shot well despite the Pacers’ increased focus on him as the game wore on.
JJ Redick Challenged Austin Reaves
Reaves carried the Lakers on his back with their top two players in street clothes.
“It’s just a next-man up mentality,” Reaves said.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said he challenged Reaves before the game and his response exceeded his expectations.
“I joked with him before the game,” Redick told reporters. “I said LeBron talked to you, he said ‘Yeah ‘Bron called me last night told me he’s going to be out.’ I feel we probably need a 38-8-8 game from you. A 45-7-7 [game] will do. He played awesome.”
Reaves closed the game as strong as he opened it, scoring 14 points to fend off the Pacers’ last-ditch rally.
“The biggest growth for him is leadership, something that I’ve challenged him,” Redick said of Reaves. “He wants that responsibility. He’s accepted it [and] embraced that challenge.”
Lakers’ Shock Troopers
It was not only Reaves who stepped up.
Jordan Goodwin, who just signed a two-way contract with the Lakers, came off the bench to fire 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting on his first game with the team.
Goodwin, Bradley Beal‘s protege and former Washington and Phoenix teammate, gave the Lakers another ball handler after losing D’Angelo Russell in the Dorian Finney-Smith trade.
Trey Jemison III, another Lakers player on a two-way contract, added eight points on 4-of-5 shooting while also providing a much-needed physical presence especially after swapping Anthony Davis with Doncic.
“Very much an all-hands-on-deck game for us. I thought our group was very connected on both ends of the floor,” Redick said.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
