LOS ANGELES— In a game when production was needed most without their stars, Austin Reaves delivered for the Lakers with a career-high 45-point outing in Saturday’s 124-117 win over the Pacers.
The Lakers push their win streak to five games, and with the Rockets' loss to the Mavericks, they move to fourth in the West at 31-19. They have won nine of their last 10 games.
With LeBron James ruled out (left ankle soreness) hours before tip-off and Luka Dončić set to make his debut on Monday (vs. UTA), the Lakers came into the 50th game of the season shorthanded and in need of someone lifting them undermanned.
Reaves was the one tasked to do so as head coach JJ Redick spoke to him pre-game about needing a high-scoring production. And he delivered.
“I said [to Reaves], ‘We probably need a 38, eight, and eight game from you.' 45, seven, and seven will do,” Redick said. “He played awesome.”
Reaves became the first Laker to join Kobe Bryant, James and Anthony Davis in the last 20 years to score at least 45 or more points, surpassing his previous career-high (38) on 54% (14-for-26) shooting with seven assists and seven rebounds in 40 minutes.
Austin Reaves was originally a gametime decion and almost didn't play, waking up Saturday morning sore and, specifically, his elbow. The Lakers needed to give the go by 60 minutes left till tip-off, and he took till almost the last second to see if he could give it a go.
"I was walking off at like 60:05, and my trainer Shane looked at me, and it's like, well, out or in? And I was like, let's do it," Reaves said. "once you get out there and start playing, then the adrenaline kicks in and you feel better.”
The star-less Lakers would come out similar to their previous four contests: high effort and consistent from the arc. They jump to an early 19-9 lead behind 85% shooting and hitting their first three 3-pointers.
The Lakers outscored the Pacers 25-13 to cap off a 44-22 first quarter behind 70.8% shooting overall, led by Austin Reaves, who, at one point, outscored the Pacers. He had 14 points by the end of the first quarter.
Markieff Morris would get his first action in his return to L.A., giving them a solid floor-spacing presence in the frontcourt. His first and only bucket, a straight-away 3 on the break, gave L.A. their biggest lead (25) of the game.
The Lakers' strong first quarter gave them a sizable lead at halftime despite being outscored by the Pacers 28-22 in the second quarter with a 16-point lead at the half—as L.A. shot 52% with 30 points in the paint.
Midway through the third, a forced backcourt violation ignited the crowd, their cheers rolling into the next play: a Jarred Vanderbilt tip-in on the offensive glass.
The fourth quarter would be followed up by multiple sequences of crowd-roaring moments. Reaves’ bucket to pass his career-high came on a breakaway dunk after stealing a Andrew Nembhard’s pass to a screener, giving the Lakers a 15-point lead with 7:37 left.
Moments after Dorian Finney-Smith got one of the games most hyoed moments behind arguably the best defensive play. Finney-Smith saved an easy bucket; instead getting an emphatic block off the glass on Jarace Walker trying to get an easy dunk. The block oohs and aahs.
With just under two minutes left, Haliburton would hit a three to cut the Lakers lead to 120-113. Then a Pascal Siakam (23 points) dunk on the next possession cut Indiana’s deficit to five (120-115).
The score would stay within five until under the final 30 seconds, with both teams in a jump ball position desperate for possession. Jordan Goodwin secured the jump ball by Rui Hachimura (24 points, nine rebounds), who found Shake Milton, connecting back to Hachimura for a dagger alley-oop exclamation point.
Goodwin, who was signed by the Lakers on Friday to a two-way contract, excelled in his first appearance with the club, showing high effort on both ends in 24 minutes. He finished with 10 points (four rebounds) on four-for-seven shooting.
"Goodie helped win us the game. Let's be clear about that," Redick said.
Next Game
The Lakers will split a series home and away in the next two games against the Utah Jazz, starting on Monday in L.A. and then Wednesday in Utah at the Delta Center.