The Los Angeles Lakers are now 3-0 up after defeating the Utah Jazz 132-123. It was a comeback victory wherein Austin Reaves put up 29 points on the board. The player was on fire, taunting the Utah crowd after making 11 of his 13 free throws. At the same time, he didn’t leave many foul calls unchallenged.
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The Lakers were behind 18 points at the end of the first quarter, with the Jazz accumulating 47. By the third quarter, the Lakers had sped past their opponents at 88-85 when Reaves was called for a second personal foul in the quarter. He didn’t hesitate to take it up with referee Brandon Adair.
“I don’t know why Austin Reaves is just complaining after every call, every foul,” said the Utah Jazz commentary team. “That is definitely a foul.”
The player seemingly challenged the officiating team multiple times during the third quarter, challenging their calls. However, not much would change and not often. After he challenged Adair for the foul call with 6:42 left on the clock, the Jazz’s Jaren Jackson Jr. received two free throws as dictated by the rules.
Regardless, Reaves’ performance did not suffer. In fact, he made 11 out of his own 13 free throws. He finished with 29 points, four assists, and one rebound. The player was shooting 80% from the 3-point line and 58.3% from the field.
The game was special in many ways. The Lakers started the second quarter with a 18-point deficit and then clawed their way back into the competition. They barely let the score slip from the second quarter onwards.
That’s the beautiful thing about our team is there’s no egos; there’s no anything, you just want to win basketball games,” Reaves told the press later on about their comeback. “However that happens is the main thing.”
While Reaves was trouble on the court, it was the team’s star Luka Doncic who may have stolen the spotlight in terms of performance. The Slovenian icon put up a staggering 52 points on the board, becoming one of only 6 players to score 50 points or more in three games or more.
He also had an astonishing free-throw rate of 90.9%, making 10 of his 11 free throws. He shot 44.4% from the three-point line also, going 8-for-18. Coach JJ Redick later praised him, claiming that Doncic can go into “showman mode,” if he’s really enjoying himself and playing like he wants to.
Therefore, Luka Doncic’s offensive prowess was on full display against the young Utah Jazz roster. At the same time, the Jazz’s former player and brand-new Laker, Walker Kessler, struggled to make ends meet, scoring only two points for the team.
Lakers played a rather physical game and collected more free throws, at 38 compared to Utah’s 27 in total. Making 32 out of those free throws allowed them a significant lead in the game which they managed to win ultimately.
The game also showed the difference between the two rosters. While the Lakers have Doncic as a veteran, most of the Utah Jazz roster is filled with younger talent. Ultimately, the Lakers won with chemistry and coordination, along with the sheer brilliance of Luka Doncic.