Lakers' Austin Reaves: Strong performance not enough
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Reaves had 22 points (8-16 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one steal across 36 minutes during Thursday's 108-103 loss to the Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
Reaves has finished with at least five made threes, 20 points and five assists in each of the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. Across 14 appearances this postseason, the second-year wing has averaged 16.4 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game while shooting 43.2 percent from deep. Reaves has been the Lakers' only consistent three-point shooter in the playoffs thus far and should continue to handle increased usage while he's playing at a high level.
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Lakers' Austin Reaves: Plays team-high 42 minutes
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Reaves contributed 23 points (7-14 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds and eight assists over 42 minutes during Tuesday's 132-126 loss to Denver in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Reaves put together another strong performance despite the loss, logging a team-high 42 minutes. It's been quite a ride for Reaves who has seen his stock rise substantially over the past few months. Now a permanent fixture in the starting lineup, Reaves is a viable scoring option and strong secondary playmaker, highlighted by his eight assists.
Reaves had 23 points (7-12 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), five rebounds and six assists across 39 minutes during Friday's 122-101 victory over the Warriors in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Reaves was the Lakers' second-leading scorer in the series-clinching win, trailing only LeBron James (30 points). Reaves rounded out a strong overall stat line with six assists and five rebounds while going 4-for-5 from three-point range. He hit perhaps the biggest momentum-shifting shot of the contest, draining a buzzer-beating triple from beyond halfcourt as the second quarter ended to push the Lakers' lead to 10 going into halftime. Reaves has scored in double digits in all but one of Los Angeles' 12 postseason contests thus far, serving as a crucial complementary piece next to James and Anthony Davis with playoff per-game averages of 15.4 points, 4.8 boards, 4.3 dimes and 2.1 three-pointers across 35.1 minutes.
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Lakers' Austin Reaves: Finds footing in Game 4
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Reaves contributed 21 points (7-15 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds, four assists and one steal in 34 minutes during Monday's 104-101 win over Golden State in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Coming into the contest, Reaves had averaged just 9.0 points while shooting 32.1 percent from the field, but he got hot Monday and submitted his best performance since posting 23 points and six assists in Game 2 versus Memphis. As expected, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been the two stalwarts for Los Angeles during its playoff run, but Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Lonnie Walker, Rui Hachimura and Dennis Schroder have all had their time in the sun. However, the production from the supporting cast has been far from consistent and difficult to predict.
Reaves ended with 23 points (7-16 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 7-8 FT), four rebounds, six assists and one steal over 42 minutes during Monday's 117-111 overtime win over Memphis in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
Reaves continues to impress, leading the Lakers with 23 points to go with six assists. Now a regular fixture in the starting lineup, Reaves has been one of the more surprising storylines to emerge from the second half of the season. With the Lakers now just one win away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs, Reaves should once again feature prominently in Game 5 on Wednesday.
