Getty Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles past the defense of Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets.
With the Los Angeles Lakers cruising to a boring blowout win of the lottery-bound Charlotte Hornets, Austin Reaves pulled out a never-before-seen trick from his bag that electrified the crowd, including his teammates.
Reaves’ dazzling behind-the-back layup had Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis outracing one another to mimic the sorcery they had just witnessed.
Austin Reaves gets FANCY with the behind the back razzle-dazzle 😲
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“I’m always excited for my teammates when they score, hit threes, dunks,” Davis told reporters when asked about his reaction afterward, “good plays like Austin had with the behind-the-back. “It’s exciting! At the end of the day, you get to sit on the bench and watch your teammates do something special. You become fans and fans of the game, especially the guys on the team. So, that was a cool moment for us.”
Davis dropped 26 points on just 26 minutes of play as Reaves and the rest of the Lakers bench finished the job in the 133-112 blowout.
Spur of the Moment Play
Reaves scored eight of his 17 points in the second half, including the night’s highlight play. He played it cool and said the trick was not pre-meditated.
“That kind of just happened,” Reaves told reporters. “Sometimes, it’s not like I was just sitting there thinking about it as I ran up the floor and I thought it was a good opportunity to put the ball in a position that [Terry] Rozier couldn’t get to it.”
Austin Reaves definitely seasons his chicken.
“I thought it should have been and1 but we won’t speak about that. I play the game, the kind of free-flowing, loose and kind of just let the game come to me, whatever happens, happen,” he added.
Christian Wood, who added nine points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from deep, can attest to that.
“I like that,” Wood told reporters. That was a new one. I don’t know where he got that from. Maybe he was watching some John Wall Clips or something but that was nice. I haven’t seen that one in practice.”
Austin Reaves Admires Christian Wood’s Professionalism
Reaves shined the light on Wood, who came prepared even after his removal from the rotation on December 15.
“Shoutout to C-Wood,” Reaves told Spectrum Sportsnet’s Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell. “It is very hard to sit over here for however many games he’s got a DNP (did not play) and then be efficient and effective. That’s just a testament to putting the work in and him being him.”
Wood got the opportunity to re-enter the rotation after Cam Reddish sat with a groin injury and Rui Hachimura got a spot start. The big man added five rebounds, four assists and one block in 23 minutes.
LeBron James Is No. 3 on Allen Iverson’s GOAT List
James led the way with 11 assists to go with 17 points and four rebounds.
His outstanding play just two days before his 39th birthday is another proof of his enduring legacy as he aims to cement his status as the greatest of all time. But Allen Iverson is not yet ready to crown him.
“People talk about the best players in the world, you know I’d say Mike, and I’d say Kobe. And then everybody else,” Iverson told Showtime’s Rachel Nichols in an episode with “Headliners with Rachel Nichols.
Nichols asked if he was putting James behind Jordan and Bryant.
“Definitely,” Iverson said. “Definitely after them.”