The Los Angeles Lakers stepped onto the court in Denver on Friday night as underdogs. Just a week ago, they were riding an eight-game winning streak. Now, they had dropped three straight and were facing Denver Nuggets without LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes. Lakers fans were prepared for a blowout.
But Austin Reaves made sure they didn’t go down without a fight.
And fight they did.
Reaves along with rookie Dalton Knecht combined for 69 points to keep Nuggets on their toes right till the end before Jamal Murray sealed the deal for the hosts with a three-point dagger.
Reaves put on a show, finishing with 37 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, and 4 steals, while knocking down four three-pointers. He joined Magic Johnson and LeBron James as the only Lakers to ever record those stats in a game.
Also Read: How many points did Dalton Knecht score last night? Full stats vs Nuggets
He was on fire from the start. Reaves closed the first half with 22 points and 10 assists, making him only the second Laker in the play-by-play era – after Kobe Bryant – to record 20+ points and 10+ assists in a half.
He also became the first Lakers player to have a single half with 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 10+ assists.
Score: Nuggets 131, Lakers 126
| Minutes Played | 39 |
| Points | 37 |
| Rebounds | 8 |
| Assists | 13 |
| Steals | 4 |
| Blocks | 0 |
| Turnovers | 4 |
| FGs | 13-26 |
| 3Ps | 4-10 |
| FTs | 7-7 |
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