Austin Reaves has been a major force for the Los Angeles Lakers in the first few games of the 2025-26 NBA season. On Sunday, Reaves erupted for 51 points against the Sacramento Kings. It was a surprising performance as the Lakers needed it. The team was without Luka Doncic, who was ruled out due to a left finger sprain and lower leg contusion, and will be out for at least a week.
Aside from Doncic, the team was without LeBron James. According to injury reports, James could return to the lineup around November as he recovers from sciatica. Fortunately for the team, Reaves had the best game of his career so far.
One of the players who benefited from Reaves’ amazing night was starting center Deandre Ayton. The Bahamian big man was an offseason signing by the Lakers and had one of the best games of his Lakers’ stint against Sacramento. DA had 22 points and 15 rebounds on 58.8% shooting from the field.
Following the game, Ayton told the media that Reaves has figured out how to play alongside him.
“AR has been dissecting me a little bit since I got here. I think he’s starting to have a feel for my game you know, how I put my emotions into the game. I guess he knows through practice and training camp, yeah, if I‘m offensive rebounding and dunking the ball yeah, I’m here,” Ayton said.
The former No. 1 selection added that he and the Lakers were able to complete the victory because Austin Reaves gave him a push late in the game.
“Just trying to come out the half pretty strong. The game was neck and neck the whole time so we were trying to break some of that up and he gave me the burst I need where he got on my back.”
DeMar DeRozan had something to say after Austin Reaves’ 50-point game
The Kings fought hard, but they just couldn’t stop Austin Reaves. The 6-foot-5 guard was active and aggressive on the floor, which allowed him to score 21 points from the free-throw line, shooting 95.5%.
However, Sacramento forward DeMar DeRozan didn’t appreciate how Reaves drew the whistle for most of the game, allowing him to score most of his points uncontested. After the game, DeRozan had some strong words towards the officiating that allowed the starting guard to generate points from the charity stripe.
“It’s crazy,” DeRozan said. “46 free throws to our 18? 18 right? We had to beg for most of those.
“It’s deflating,” DeRozan stated. “Especially when we’re going out there trying to play hard, trying to compete. It seemed like we’re getting called for fouls, but on the other end, when we try to be aggressive, nothing no go our way. It’s kind of deflating at times, especially when you’re trying to get it going.”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
