The Los Angeles Lakers did not get off to a strong start on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks. The team turned it over on their first possession, which led to a fastbreak for the Hawks where second-year forward Jalen Johnson nearly leapt completely over Austin Reaves for an insane posterization dunk that got the crowd buzzing.
This would kick of an 11-2 run to start the game for the Hawks before the Lakers got things under control, eventually taking over and cruising to a 136-105 victory. But the Lakers’ dominant performance didn’t take wipe away the memory of that first play.
Of course Reaves was asked about it after the game and thankfully the guard was able to laugh it off before revealing that it was actually the first time he had ever really been dunked on.
Of course @DanWoikeSports asked Austin about getting posterized, shoutout to him for being a good sport about it. He said he thinks it’s the first time he’s really been dunked on like that: pic.twitter.com/KFQGLT51fG
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) March 19, 2024
“I think that might be the first time I’ve ever been like, really dunked on,” Reaves said. “So I made it a really long time without being very athletic, picking my spots to get out of the way. Tried to take a charge. I don’t know, super athletic kid. And he got one. The longer I play the game, I’m sure it’s gonna happen again.
“So I ain’t too worried about it because kind of the whole sequence of that being the start, and then them kind of having that run. I’m sitting there like, shit, that’s what started it all, but we responded really well. And it just gives us the knowing if a team comes out like that, then we can, turn it around pretty quick.”
For Reaves to be near the end of his third NBA season after four years of college and high school ball and not get dunked on is truly an accomplishment. As he noted, he isn’t the most athletic and has to pick his spots. At the end of the day, getting dunked on isn’t the end of the world and Reaves gets that.
The most important thing was that he and the Lakers responded well to everything and was able to turn it around and get a much-needed dominant win. And after enough time passes most will forget all about Reaves’ unfortunate start to the game.
Austin Reaves says Lakers must treat every game as a must-win
The Lakers getting a victory after back-to-back losses was the biggest thing and they did so in dominant fashion. The team really buckled down, which is something Austin Reaves has called for recently.
Reaves spoke after a recent Lakers loss and called for the team to treat every game as a ‘must-win’ and put their ‘best foot forward’ for the rest of the season.
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