“Didn’t Do a Very Good Job”: Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura Call Out Lakers Teammates for ‘Messing Around’ Against Grizzlies

The Los Angeles Lakers snapped their two-game losing streak in a nail-biter against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, climbing back to the eighth seed with a 123-120 win. However, while Lakers fans would be happy to walk away with a crucial win, the team’s performance left much to be desired. Even battling against a team that was severely undermanned, missing 13 of its active players, the game teetered on a razor’s edge, requiring big nights from both LeBron James and Anthony Davis to secure a narrow three-point victory.

Following the hard-fought victory, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura expressed their disappointment with the team’s overall performance. “Obviously, I didn’t do a very good job of it tonight. I think they took away one of my only career chase-down blocks. I thought it was you know pretty clean, but you know that stuff happens, I just got to do a better job not fouling,” said Reaves after foul trouble limited his minutes on the court. In 25 minutes of playtime, he posted 13 points, one assist, and two blocks to help the Lakers overtake the Sacramento Kings for the 8th seed.

Hachimura also sounded off, stating, “We definitely played probably one of the worst games this whole season. It can’t happen like this, I know it’s the end of the season, but we trying to build something for the playoffs. We can’t be messing around.” The Japanese small forward finished the game with 14 points, five rebounds, and one assist.

James and Davis combined for a total of 73 points out of a total of 123 points to avoid an embarrassing loss in the final week of the season. James pulled up a couple of difficult shots, including a double pump reverse dunk in the 41st minute, to give LA a 123-118 lead with 5.2 seconds remaining. The 39-year-old finished the night with 37 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. However, he also had eight turnovers, with seven of them coming in about the first two-thirds of the game.

AD, on the other hand, put up 36 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists in his return from an eye injury. However, what matters is that they managed to win, even if it was the most embarrassing win of the season.

What lies ahead for the Los Angeles Lakers?

The Lakers will now face the New Orleans Pelicans for the final regulation game on Sunday. If they lose, they can either finish eighth, ninth, or 10th, depending on how other teams perform on the final day, April 14th. The Lakers are one game ahead of both the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. But both of those teams own the season tiebreaker over the Lakers.

The Warriors host the Utah Jazz, while the Kings are at home versus the Portland Trail Blazers—both winnable games. If either the Kings or the Warriors win, the Lakers will slip to ninth place. However, if both Sacramento and Golden State secure victories, the Lakers could find themselves as the final team in the play-in tournament.

But if they beat the Pels, they will finish as the eighth seed and dodge the nerve-wracking win-or-go-home No. 9 vs. No. 10 game. However, securing a win would be a tall task, since the New Orleans Pelicans are poised to fight tooth and nail for the sixth seed, ensuring themselves a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.