"Someone that has the guts to make the big shot" - Frank Vogel praises Austin Reaves for his big-time shots as the LA Lakers youngster continues to impress vs Utah Jazz
Austin Reaves continues to shine for the LA Lakers. The 23-year-old hit a dagger triple as the Lakers came from behind to earn an impressive win against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Reaves had nine points, four rebounds and two assists. However, his only three-point shot, with 17.4 seconds left to play in the contest, ensured the LA Lakers finished with a 106-101 victory at Crypto.com Arena.
AUSTIN REAVES OMG 🥶 https://t.co/1SwwSzzRWp
This was Reaves' second big-time clutch bucket for the Lakers. He hit a game-winning long-range shot to give his side an overtime victory against the Dallas Mavericks on December 15, 2021.
LA Lakers head coach Frank Vogel made it a point to praise Reaves' big shot-making ability at crunch time. Speaking during the post-game media interaction, Vogel said of Reaves:
"Someone that has the guts to make the big shot, as we’ve seen twice now."
After praising the two-way play of Austin Reaves, Vogel talked about his dagger 3:
“Someone that has the guts to make the big shot, as we’ve seen twice now.”
His first game winner was earlier this season, at the buzzer, at Dallas.
Commenting on his big bucket, Reaves said with great humility in the post-game interview:
"Russ [Westbrook] attacked and then Bron [LeBron James] made a good cut and then they all swarmed to him and he made a good pass and [I] made a big shot."
"He's one of the greatest players ever" - Austin Reaves about LA Lakers teammate LeBron James' spectacular fourth-quarter play
Austin Reaves' crunch-time three-point shot came on the back of a 15-point fourth quarter by LeBron James.
James finished with 33 points as he helped the Lakers overcome a 71-79 deficit after three quarters, giving them a five-point victory when the final buzzer sounded.
When asked about James' incredible play, which saw the 37-year-old score 10 straight points towards the end of the fourth quarter, Reaves said:
"Bron being Bron. That's basically all you can say. He's one of the greatest players ever. He just did his thing."
LEBRON. TOOK. OVER.
His 15 4th quarter PTS lead the Lakers to a comeback win over the Jazz 💪 https://t.co/BKSTa7YzaA
The LA Lakers will play their next game at home against their local rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, after the All-Star break. Wednesday's win against the Utah Jazz improved their regular-season record to 27-31.
The Lakers will hope that the injury sustained by Anthony Davis during the first half of the game versus the Jazz isn't too serious and that the forward recovers soon.
Reaves summed it up best in his post-game comments when he said:
"First of all, we hope AD is alright. It's basketball. Injuries happen. We just wish the best for him. The crowd was amazing tonight, especially in the fourth quarter. The biggest thing for us is to get a big win. "
Austin Reaves walks @LakersReporter through his big three with 17 seconds left that helped seal a #LakeShow win over Utah. https://t.co/ipj0oaUN6m