Austin Reaves shared his thoughts after Los Angeles’ 137-130 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday.
“It was great. Luka scored a lot of buckets. I beat him one in one hole yesterday. Golf. He did actually, he beat me in one hole yesterday. Made bogey. I made triple bogey,” Reaves said about his friendly competition with Luka Doncic.
Reaves joked about letting Doncic win, saying, “No, I don’t. No, I let him win. It’s a confidence thing. No, we need him to be at his best.” He added, “That’s why I’m nicer than him. I had learned the hard way and I got to keep my friends happy.”
On the Pacers’ effort despite the deficit, Reaves acknowledged, “Yeah, you know that they’re going to play 48 minutes and they’re going to play hard. Obviously, it’s not the season they want to have, the injuries and and whatnot, but they’re still a good basketball team with good players.”
Reaves also praised teammate Jaxson Hayes, noting, “He’s a good player. Obviously a line threat, plays hard, so it’s fun. It’s good to see him out there having fun as well.” Hayes finished with a double-double, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Bronny James’ performance also drew Reaves’ attention. “Good. Yeah, good minutes. He made one of the biggest shots of the night with the pull up to I think we were up 13 at the time or something. Got it to 15. But he just needs reps. He followed, played hard, did what he was supposed to do, and was really happy for him.”
Reaves highlighted Bronny’s growth, saying, “Yeah, I mean he’s just gotten better every single day. He doesn’t take no shortcuts. He loves working. He does the right things, keeps his head down, don’t care about all the noise and just continues to work and get better every single day.”
He touched on family influence, reflecting on his parents’ basketball background: “[My father] tried to blow by somebody and he was too old [and tore his Achilles]. So, before that he was actually hooping though. So, mom could play. Mom was a bucket. So, I guess I learned something from both of them.”
Reaves described seeing Bronny and LeBron James contribute together in the NBA as “still crazy. It’s cool to see them coexist at work and it’s just a beautiful thing.”
On the game itself, Reaves scored 25 points and dished eight assists while Doncic added 43 points and seven assists. LeBron James contributed 23 points, and the Lakers overcame absences including Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Marcus Smart to remain third in the Western Conference with a 10-1 stretch.
The Lakers return home to host Brooklyn on Friday, while Indiana prepares for the Clippers.
