Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic have been on a roll lately, and NBA fans are having a blast watching the duo cook.
In Sunday’s 133–121 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the two went back and forth the entire night, trading buckets and carrying the Lakers on the strength of a combined 77 points. Doncic finished with 34, while Reaves ended up just one shy.
Asked afterward about the free throw he missed that could’ve tied him with Luka in the box score, Reaves cracked up and said, “I gotta keep Luka’s confidence high. Don’t need to outscore him two nights in a row.”
Austin Reaves was asked about a missed FT that let Luka finish with ONE more point than him 😂
“I gotta keep Luka’s confidence high. Don’t need to outscore him two nights in a row.” 💀
(via @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/cgsFTTNVb3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 1, 2025
That line alone sent the internet spiraling.
One fan wrote, “coldest white backcourt in nba history already.”
Another said, “This bromance is awesome. Lebron is gonna get Reaves traded if he isn’t careful.”
A third added, “The Lakers are succeeding cuz these guys are just having fun out there.”
Their chemistry started early this season while LeBron James was sidelined, and the more they leaned on each other, the smoother things clicked. The payoff has been huge — Los Angeles has opened the year at 15–5.
“Great leadership from Luka”: NBA fans give Doncic credit after loss to Suns
The good vibes took a hit Monday night as the Lakers fell 108–125 to the Phoenix Suns, snapping their momentum and exposing some issues with ball security. L.A. coughed it up 21 times, with Doncic responsible for nine of them, and he didn’t shy away from owning it postgame.
“It was my fault… no way I should have 9 turnovers,” said Doncic. Fans appreciated the accountability and defended him anyway.
“It was my fault… no way I should have 9 turnovers”
– Luka taking accountability for the Lakers loss pic.twitter.com/FFBqsIxNGF
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 2, 2025
One said, “it was JJ’s stupid ass rotations but great leadership from luka.”
Another added, “At least he owns it. Most guys would blame the refs.”
A third wrote, “Yea how dare he go for 40 points and 9 turnovers.”
Even on an off night handling the ball, Doncic still threw up 38 points, 11 boards, and 5 assists — hardly a quiet performance.
Now they’ll try to reset as they head to Toronto for a Thursday matchup with the Raptors.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
