Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves recently addressed their team’s defeat by the Denver Nuggets, adding further to the list of games they lost to the Colorado team. However, as the guard pointed out, the issue was nothing about any past baggage, but that they were defeated plain and simple.
In their 13th loss against the Nuggets, the Lakers lost 102-127, showing problems in their team play where even LeBron James only logged 18 points overall, despite playing for more than 30 minutes. Reaves, on the other hand, scored a little more with 19 points.
Talking about the defeat, Reaves clarified that it was not about anything from last year or any past issues with the Nuggets.
“Last year was last year,” he told reporters during a post-game interview. “Tonight they beat the s**t out of us.”
Austin Reaves on the Lakers’ continued woes against Denver: “Last year was last year … Tonight they beat the s— out of us”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 24, 2024
Pointing to the third quarter as the point where they lost the game, Reaves also talked about how the Nuggets took advantage of this hole in their play.
“I think we just played one of the worst quarters you could possibly play,” Reaves said. “The energy was down from the first possession in the third quarter and they took advantage and ran away with the game.”
He added: “I’m sure JJ said [it] as well, [it] just wasn’t good enough. That should never be the problem. If we compete and lose off of not making shots or the other things, other than not playing hard, then you can live with those results. Tonight, in that third quarter [we] just didn’t play hard.”
Austin Reaves Trade Could Solve Lakers’ Shooting Woes—Mock Trade Reports
In what would be a massive trade move, if it would become a reality, a mock trade considered the Lakers parting ways with Austin Reaves to acquire Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.
Citing the need for “an elite shooter to space the floor consistently for Anthony Davis and LeBron James,” the mock trade proposed Porter Jr. as a player who can complement James and Davis well, as he would open up driving lanes for the two powerhouses to dominate on the inside.
Porter Jr. already proved to be a reliable outside shooter for the Nuggets since he started playing for the team in 2019.
However, despite the potential benefits of acquiring Porter Jr, it is hard to imagine the Lakers letting go of Reaves for now.
The mock trade also positioned Porter Jr. as a great team-up with Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht.
Austin Reaves and the Lakers will next play the Phoenix Suns.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
