Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers opened up a 17-points first quarter lead Friday night as they attempted to close out the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
That lead had shrunk to seven points in the waning moments of the second quarter. Warriors guard Klay Thompson looked to bring the defending champs to within four points. His shot missed poorly with Donte DiVincenzo grabbing the rebound. As he’s done all series, Anthony Davis protected the rim with a blocked shot.
That’s when Reaves did his thing for his 11th, 12th and 13th points of the first half. But it was not your ordinary trey from the former undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma. Check the shot out in all of its glory:
Yeah, Austin Reaves nailed that from beyond halfcourt. Another angle of the shot showed us just how awesome it was.
Talk about a seismic shift as Reaves and the Lakers look to end Golden State’s dynasty and head to the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets.
It’s not like Reaves’ first half performance has come out of nowhere, either. The young guard was Brilliant to conclude the regular season, averaging 18.7 PPG and 5.8 APG on 43% shooting from distance over the final 18 games. He’s been stellar in the playoffs heading into Friday’s action, too.
Austin Reaves stats (NBA Playoffs): 14.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 36% 3-point shooting
We will see if the Lakers have enough to close this one out and head to the conference finals. If they do, Reaves will be a huge reason why.