The Los Angeles Lakers’ last two games have ended in the most dramatic ways possible. On Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James tipped in a shot at the buzzer to give the Lakers a much-needed victory.
However, things took a turn the following night after Austin Reaves made a go-ahead layup with three seconds remaining, only for Josh Giddey to hit a half-court heave at the buzzer to give the Chicago Bulls the win.
Now, with nine games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers are preparing for a massive showdown on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies, who surprisingly fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday, despite being firmly in the Western Conference playoff race.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, the Lakers provided a major update to their injury report: Austin Reaves, who was previously questionable to play, has now been upgraded to probable. This is crucial for L.A. as Reaves continues to have the best season of his young career.
Reaves has been one of the best third options in the entire NBA, behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis earlier in the year, and now James and Luka Doncic.
Over the last ten games, Reaves is averaging an impressive 25.9 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 50.8% from the field. This season, he is currently averaging 19.9 points, 5.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, while shooting 45.4% from the field, 35.8% from the 3-point line, and 88.0% from the charity stripe.
The Lakers have lost four of their last five games but remain the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. With a 44-29 record, they are tied with the Grizzlies, who are the No. 5 seed, and only hold a two-game advantage over the last team in the play-in tournament.
