NBA
Austin Reaves is the 3rd Laker in the last 25 seasons to finish 5-5 or better in the fourth quarter of a playoff game
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated17 Apr 2023
The LA Lakers were slept on all year long due to injuries and the team making a number of in-season trades. Yesterday they had Game 1 of their opening-round series vs the Memphis Grizzlies and won on the road, 128-112. Austin Reaves took over in the fourth quarter and joined some legendary Laker legends in the process. He is the third Laker in the last 25 seasons to finish a game 5-5 or better in the fourth quarter. Only Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal have done the same.
If the Lakers can get this kind of production from Reaves all series long, LA is going to be a tough team to beat. Last night he finished with 23 points and scored 14 of those points in the fourth quarter to help seal the win for the Lakers. It was a balanced attack offensively for LA and they played unselfishly throughout most of the game.
NBA Betting sites have the Lakers at (+104) on Wednesday night for Game 2 vs the Memphis Grizzlies.
Austin Reaves is the 3rd Laker in the last 25 seasons to finish 5-5 FG or better in the 4th quarter of a playoff game.
He joins Kobe Bryant against the Spurs in 2002 and Shaquille O'Neal against the Pacers in 2000. pic.twitter.com/0dk19HQE7F
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 16, 2023
Austin Reaves closed the game out last night in the fourth quarter for the Lakers
Reaves went undrafted in 2021 and has continued to shine in the opportunities he’s gotten over the last two seasons with the Lakers. Last season he averaged (7.3) points per game as a rookie and improved that number to (13.0) a game in 2022-23. That’s in large part to his much-improved three-point shooting.
He shot the deep ball at just (.317) in 2021-22 but made a massive leap to (.398) this season. With that, his role has grown larger for the Lakers and he’s continued to prove his value time and time again. Reaves has made plenty of comments that he wants to remain with the Lakers for the rest of his career.
Last night, Reaves scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in a row to help seal the game for the Lakers. This was the first time since 1988 that the Lakers had 4 20-point scorers in a playoff game. It was a balanced attack offensively and the Lakers will be ready to try and steal another win on the road in Game 2.
