The Los Angeles Lakers were presented with the opportunity to close out the Memphis Grizzlies and earn themselves some extra rest heading into Game 5.
However, the Grizzlies answered the bell as they fought hard through all four quarters to stave elimination, blowing out the Lakers in convincing fashion. Anthony Davis carried Los Angeles on both ends of the floor, but his co-star LeBron James appeared out of gas after heroically leading them to victory in Game 4.
Fortunately, the Lakers get another chance to end the series as they head back home to Los Angeles for Game 6. Despite a lopsided loss, Austin Reaves said he is still really confident in himself and the team, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Still really high. I mean, it’s the playoffs and they’re the No. 2 seed in the West for a reason. They’re really good, we didn’t come in thinking it was going to be a cakewalk. We knew it was gonna be a battle, but like you said we’re going back to our house and we’ll compete to win there.”
Memphis has been one of the most resilient teams in the NBA the past few seasons, so Reaves acknowledged he wasn’t surprised to see them play with some extra burst and energy in Game 5 at home:
“Yeah. Obviously they don’t want to go home, or they don’t wan to get beat in this series as much as we want to win the series. They’re all competitors over there, so they did come out with an urgency and a fire in front of their home fans to build them up, bring them up and like I said they played a good game.”
Reaves has been a revelation in his first postseason run, so it’s good to see his mentality hasn’t changed after a brutal loss on the road. The second-year guard hasn’t looked rattled at all during the series and has been one of L.A.’s best players through five games.
Playing with confidence is key at the NBA level, so fans probably don’t have to worry about Reaves going into Game 6. If he and the rest of the roster play like they have at home, then they should have a great shot at advancing to the next round.
Austin Reaves calls it ‘dream come true’ to play in first postseason
The former undrafted guard has one of the best success stories in the league as he’s become a pivotal rotation piece for a Lakers team that has a legitimate chance at a title. The moment isn’t lost on Reaves who called it a dream come true to play for the purple and gold in the offseason.
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