The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another disappointing loss on Friday night, falling to the Sacramento Kings in a game they led a large portion of.
As has been the case a lot this season, the Lakers’ inability to execute late cost them as self-inflicted wounds in a close game are simply unacceptable.
Austin Reaves had his best game of the season for L.A., but after the game, his focus was on his mistakes that cost his team.
“Yeah, in all games you have plays that you wish you could take back,” Reaves said. “There was one possession I think late in the game where Kevin Huerter ran into a slip and it was my fault. I should’ve stayed with De’Aaron Fox when he drove downhill. Me and Russ just had a little miscommunication, but just things like that that could change the game. We’ll watch film and get better.”
Here is the play Reaves is referring to and although he took responsibility, Russell Westbrook should shoulder some blame as well, via Lakers Daily:
With the game tied at a critical juncture, Russell Westbrook forgets he’s guarding De’Aaron Fox 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/k4y6JlT1T4
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 12, 2022
Reaves has never been one to not take accountability, so this doesn’t come as a surprise. With the Lakers sitting at 2-10, he spoke about how challenging this season has been for him and his teammates.
“I’ve said it a million times, obviously it’s frustrating. Every pro athlete, any athlete at all, wants to win. You can go out and get a five-year-old kid playing soccer and he wants to win. So it’s frustrating but at the same time, I feel like, talking about the chemistry stuff, I feel like it’s coming together.
“Like I’ve said and everybody’s said a million times, we haven’t played together a lot so the more that we play together, the more confident we’re gonna be and it’s gonna turn.”
Reaves puts up best offensive performance
Despite his own criticism of his play, Reaves was exceptional for the Lakers on Friday night. He scored a season-high 19 points off the bench to go along with five rebounds and a number of hustle plays that didn’t make the statsheet.
“It’s basketball and I just try to play the right way,” Reaves said of his performance. “Teammates and coaches put me in a good position to be successful so like I said, I play the game the same way every game and tonight it was just scoring a little bit more.”
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