The Los Angeles Lakers earned a critical win Tuesday night as a fourth-quarter comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans helped them keep pace in a tightly contested Western Conference race.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic scored 30 points each while Deandre Ayton posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Their effort was ultimately enough to thwart New Orleans, who were in control for most of the game, behind a stellar performance from Trey Murphy III (42 points).
With the win, the Lakers moved back into a tie for third in the conference with the Denver Nuggets, who continue to impress, even without Nikola Jokic.
That said, Los Angeles has been dealing with injuries of their own, including Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and most notably Austin Reaves.
Although Reaves has missed 11 games this season, it doesn't seem to have affected his stock heading into free agency this summer.
According to NBA insider Sam Amick, the Lakers seem likely to do all they can to retain Reaves beyond this season.
"The plan is Jeanie’s still the governor of that team. And I bring that up because she’s the captain of the Austin Reaves fan club. And Rob Pelinka is a huge fan as well. Now, listen, Mark Walter paid 10 billion dollars for the team — if he sees things differently, then who knows what happens down the road. But right now all signs point to them finding a way to pay Austin that massive amount that’s coming his way this summer."
With LeBron's future up in the air, Lakers fans will be happy to know that their front office seems keen on the idea of investing in Reaves to pair with Doncic. That said, Reaves ultimately could decide to sign elsewhere.
In the meantime, the Lakers will return to action on Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back. As for Reaves, he's likely to remain sidelined for a minimum of two more weeks.
More NBA news:
- VJ Edgecombe reaches stats unseen by a rookie since LeBron in 2003
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander praises Chet Holmgren for OKC's success
- LeBron James breaks another scoring record in win over Grizzlies
- Tyrese Maxey: 'Joel Embiid was really the first person to believe in me'
- One of the NBA's most efficient players is on a two-way contract
- Cam Thomas' most recent dispute with Brooklyn ignites trade rumors
- Guerschon Yabusele addresses his future with the Knicks following trade rumors