Austin Reaves stood in the middle of a quiet locker room after a heartbreaking loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, reflecting on a missed opportunity to save the Los Angeles Lakers’ season. With a chance to tie the game in the final seconds of the 2026 playoffs, the young guard saw his shot rim out, but he quickly received support from LeBron James.
According to a report on X by Dan Woike, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer immediately went over to console his teammate after the final buzzer. “‘Helluva shot. Keep your head up,'” Austin Reaves said LeBron James told him during their embrace, later adding that the superstar veteran “…has meant a lot to my career” throughout their time playing together in Los Angeles.
Despite that final miss, Reaves has been a consistent spark for the Lakers during this postseason, averaging 14.7 points and 3.7 assists per game against the Thunder’s elite defense proving that he remains one of the team’s most reliable scoring options even under the immense pressure of playoff elimination.
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