It’s been one heck of a playoffs for former Oklahoma standout Austin Reaves. He’s exploded onto the scene of the 2023 NBA Playoffs for the Los Angeles Lakers. The former Sooner standout has been critical to Los Angeles’ impressive playoff run this year. He poured in 21 points in their 104-101 win in Game 4 of their series against the Warriors.
The Lakers opened up Game 6 of their Western Conference Semifinal matchup on Friday night with a 19-point lead. Then the Warriors battled back and cut their lead down to four with 8:14 left in the first half.
Then with the clock winding down in the final few seconds of the half, Reaves made the magic happen. He launched a desperation three from just beyond half court and drained it.
Check out the impressive shot here.
The two Lakers fans beneath the basket sure enjoyed the shot and he was quick to celebrate with them.
Reaves had 13 points at halftime. He connected on four of his six shots from the field. He also drained both of his three-point attempts. The Lakers lead at halftime was 56-46.
Austin Reaves has been playing impressive basketball in the 2023 NBA Playoffs
Reaves has turned it on when it’s mattered the most in the past few months. He’s been a pleasant surprise, especially since it’s been his first taste of playoff action.
He poured in 23 points in two different games (Game 1 and Game 4) against the Memphis Grizzlies. In the Lakers’ 117-111-win vs. Memphis in Game 4, Reaves connected on 7 of his 16 shots from the field and two of his five three-point attempts. He also drained seven of his eight free throw attempts.
Once the NBA regular season calendar turned to April, Reaves kicked things up a notch. He averaged 20 points per game in the month of April and hasn’t looked back since.
Reaves went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, but was picked up by the Lakers with a two-way contract on August 3, 2021. It didn’t take him long to show he has a knack for clutch plays. On December 15, 2021 against the Dallas Mavericks, he drained a game-winning three pointer to lift the Lakers to a 107-104 victory.
On March 19, 2023, Reaves poured in a career-high 35 points and stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds and six assists in a 111-105 win over the Orlando Magic.
As a senior for the Oklahoma Sooners, he demonstrated his complete skill set, averaging 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
