The Los Angeles Lakers drilled a hole in the Memphis Grizzlies in the fourth quarter of the game last night. It was a night that made everyone question whether the Lakers could have been the table-toppers with an earlier fix to the team. And they sure could have been looking at their performances in the last two months have shocked people in the NBA. And most of all, one can never put out a team that consists of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The superstar duo has been crucial to the success of the Lakers since the two joined forces in 2019. But this time, the playoff heroes were different than the usual ones. It was the dynamic youngsters who were almost new to the playoffs part of the season. Austin Reaves is playing in his first-ever playoff season ever. And Hachimura was not involved much with such high stake games in his old Washington Wizard team. But the times have changed for both relatively young players in this new LA team.
The New Lakers’ Duo: Austin Reaves & Rui Hachimura
The first playoff win of many came with stellar performances of Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. It is incredible to see that the Lakers are comfortable putting their faith in the hands of the young players. Although Reaves was in his debut playoff game, it did not look as if he was new to the stage. He was dripping with confidence and passion with no sign of fear in his eyes. When he entered the game, the Lakers were tailing 99-98 and had an immediate impact on the game.
Austin Reaves has been an underrated passer (and player). This pass was amazing. pic.twitter.com/Y3dkLpwnBh
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) April 16, 2023
Within 30 seconds, he started troubling the defenders, pulling fouls, and earning free throws to take the lead. He came in and increased the tempo of the game. Even LeBron James agreed to the massive basketball IQ that he brings onto the court. LeBron said, “I knew from the first practice that he wasn’t going to be two-way for long … I’ve been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players … and the [guys] that fit with me.“
Yet Another Game, Yet Another History
'I'M HIM"
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 16, 2023
Austin Reaves letting the world know 🗣 pic.twitter.com/9y15iGbAh0
The Lakers are bound to make history every time they step on the court. This time four of the LA players scored more than 20 points in a playoff game. A feat of such extent has not been achieved since the year 1988. It was Rui with the team’s high 29 points, with Reaves tailing him with his 23 points. And behind them were the superstar duo of LeBron and Anthony, who scored 21 and 22, respectively.
The squad was incredible, with 53.3 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from beyond the arc. An unimaginable improvement from what they began at the start of the season. But the real hero of the game remains Austin, who was everywhere, scoring points and making plays.