Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick shared his thoughts on Austin Reaves’ painful fall during Friday’s NBA Cup game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The incident occurred after Reaves attempted a dunk, but his shot was blocked by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, resulting in the Lakers guard taking a hard tumble to the floor.
Redick, who knows the physical toll of basketball, offered a candid explanation of his own decision to limit his dunking early in his career. “It’s why I stopped dunking very early in my life,” Redick said. “It’s clear he couldn’t go in the first half. He’s tough as nails.”
Despite the painful fall, Reaves returned to the game in the second half, playing 29 minutes and contributing 11 points and five rebounds.
His resilience was evident, but Redick acknowledged that Reaves wasn’t fully in the flow of the game after the fall. “He wasn’t really in the flow of the game because of that and not getting to start the second half,” Redick explained.
Reaves’ injury came amid a challenging game for the Lakers, who were eliminated from the NBA Cup after a 101-93 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 36 points, including 15 crucial points in the fourth quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s stellar performance included a pivotal 3-pointer with 1:35 left, extending Oklahoma City’s lead to 95-91. Jalen Williams added 19 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed a double-double with 11 points and 18 rebounds.
For Los Angeles, Dalton Knecht led with 20 points, hitting five 3-pointers, while D’Angelo Russell came off the bench to score 17 points. Anthony Davis posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and LeBron James chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
The Lakers’ comeback attempt fell short, despite trimming the deficit to four points in the final moments. A key turnover by Reaves led to a steal and a dunk by Williams, sealing the victory for Oklahoma City.
With the win, Oklahoma City remains in contention in West Group B, while the Lakers drop to 2-2, eliminated from the NBA Cup. The final group games will determine if the Thunder advance to the knockout stage.
