Lakers' Austin Reaves makes emotional admission about dramatic game-winner
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On a night dominated by two of the greatest to ever hold a basketball on planet earth in LeBron James and Stephen Curry, it was Austin Reaves who stole the show for the Los Angeles Lakers in their 115-113 Christmas Day victory. Reaves didn’t just put up a triple-double, recording 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, he also scored the most important bucket of the game — a game-winning layup that quelled Curry’s late-game heroics.
The game-winning man Austin Reaves wishing Lakers fans a Merry Christmas pic.twitter.com/UlpHfGSvcL
— ESPN (@espn) December 26, 2024
Reaves has come so far from being an undrafted player the Lakers brought onto the court for his energy and hustle; he is now a legitimate secondary playmaker and scorer for the Purple and Gold, and he made another game-winner for them — on Christmas Day no less. Understandably overcome with emotions, the 26-year-old revealed that he was almost brought to tears by this high point in his career.
“I’m not really an emotional person. But when I was doing radio out there, sitting on the scorer’s table, got the game ball from [D’Angelo Russell], there was a quick second where I thought I might tear up. That doesn’t happen a lot,” Reaves said in his postgame presser, via ClutchPoints on X (formerly Twitter).
"I thought I might tear up."
Austin Reaves reflects on his time in the NBA and the support from his family after hitting a Christmas Day game-winner for the Lakers
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/fORg4hL1cn
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 26, 2024
The Lakers guard’s mind quickly went to his family and he felt their support even though they were only watching from home. And all Reaves could do was bask in the moment in perhaps the biggest holiday in a calendar year.
“I say it all the time, not necessarily supposed to be in this position. I got lucky. Got my foot in the door and took advantage of the opportunity. Now I’m sitting here, on Christmas, with a game-winner and a triple-double. [But] it’s really the win that matters the most to me,” Reaves added.
Austin Reaves, Lakers provide LeBron James with support amid Anthony Davis’ injury
The Lakers’ supporting cast has drawn plenty of criticism throughout the 2024-25 season, but on Christmas Day, they came to play — and at a time they needed it the most. Anthony Davis had to exit early due to an ankle injury, but the supporting cast picked up the slack — with Austin Reaves leading the way.
But apart from Reaves, the Lakers also found some Christmas joy from the likes of Rui Hachimura and Max Christie, among others. Hachimura was money from deep, nailing five out of his seven triples on the night, and Christie made some huge plays on both ends even though he lost track of Stephen Curry on the deep three that tied the game at 113.
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