Austin Reaves Survives Brutal Fall, Powers Through Injury to Lead Lakers in Dramatic Loss to Thunder

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves faced a terrifying moment during the second quarter of the Lakers’ 101-93 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Reaves was on the receiving end of a hard fall after attempting to drive to the basket. With just over three and a half minutes left in the first half, Reaves faked a handoff to teammate Max Christie, fooling the Thunder defense and creating a clear path to the rim.

However, as he approached the basket, he was met with a desperate challenge from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein, who both tried to recover on defense. The three players collided mid-air, with Reaves crashing hard to the floor, landing directly on his back.

The Lakers’ medical staff quickly attended to Reaves as he lay on the court, clearly in pain. Despite the severity of the fall, Reaves remained in the game to shoot and make both of his free throws, though he appeared to be moving slowly. He even attempted a 3-pointer on the next possession but struggled with his movement.

After a brief check by the medical team, Reaves exited the game and headed to the locker room, leading many to believe he was finished for the night.

To everyone’s surprise, Reaves returned to the bench in the third quarter and checked back into the game with just over six minutes remaining in the period. His resilience was on full display as he finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists, not letting the injury affect his performance.

Reaves has been a key player for the Lakers this season, averaging a career-high 17.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game, while shooting 37% from three-point range. His consistent play has placed him third on the team in scoring behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and second in assists.

Reaves’ toughness and durability have been invaluable to the Lakers, having played in every game this season, just as he did throughout the 82-game regular season last year.

Losing Reaves for any extended period would have been a huge blow to a Lakers team already struggling with consistency. After a six-game winning streak earlier in the month, the Lakers have faltered, losing four of their last five games.

At 11-8, they sit in sixth place in a tightly contested Western Conference, where every game counts. Thankfully, Reaves’ quick return provided a sigh of relief for both the Lakers and their fans, as his continued presence is crucial to the team’s success moving forward.