Austin Reaves returned to the Lakers’ rotation after missing three games, contributing 17 points off the bench in a 132-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. “I was pretty tired first couple of minutes, but after that felt pretty good,” Reaves said. “Anytime you miss any amount of time, it’s going to take a little bit to find a rhythm.”
Reaves said he began finding his flow in the second quarter. “I thought I caught a decent rhythm in the second quarter, too. Getting to the rim. But, you know, it’s going to take time,” he explained. On his explosiveness returning to the court, he added, “I was out there just playing basketball. Felt good.”
The Lakers guard addressed the decision to come off the bench. “It got brought up during my shooting time… I said that I was open to whatever. Definitely felt weird coming off the bench, but, you know, it’s basketball at the end of the day,” Reaves said. He noted the rotation and minute restrictions factored into the coaching choice.
Reaves stressed the importance of defensive consistency. “I think it’s just a guard with five, you know, people every possession. Everybody’s got to be locked in, especially on rotations and schemes. We’ve shown we can do it, we just have to do it more regularly.”
Looking ahead to Christmas Day against Houston, Reaves addressed his readiness and potential increase in minutes. “I hope so. I felt good out there, so feel like I should be able to go out there and play.”
Phoenix improved to 16-13 with the victory, led by Dillon Brooks’ 25 points and Devin Booker’s 21 points and 11 assists. Los Angeles dropped to 19-9 without Luka Doncic, with LeBron James scoring 23 points. The Lakers struggled shooting 48% from the field and 38% from three-point range, falling behind by double digits in the third quarter.
The Suns outscored Los Angeles 45-29 in the third quarter, with Brooks adding 12 points in the decisive stretch. All five Suns starters reached double figures, including Mark Williams with 18 points and nine rebounds, highlighting the team’s balanced attack.
