“Man Up”: Austin Reaves Puts Lakers Locker Room On Red Alert With Dire Message

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t fare well against the Denver Nuggets for the third time, either. Game 3 saw the Purple & Gold lose 105-112 to the Nuggets. And Austin Reaves was not happy with the outcome. No one would be. The Lakers fans seem to have taken a backseat from all the yelling and screaming to get their team’s head back in the game.

But Reaves decided that facing the truth is the way to go about it now. He didn’t give any excuses for tonight’s loss. Rather, he had a message for his fellow mates. “I think Denver is just beating us, to be honest. You can talk about adjustments and all that… but at the end of the day, you got to man up and go win.” 

There has been a lot of talk about the team trying new strategies or game plans. But so far, none has served to best the reigning champions. The only three players who scored in double digits were LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Reaves. James had 26 points, AD scored a game-high 33 and 15 assists, and Austin had 22.

D’Angelo Russell, who had a great comeback in Game 2, was much worse tonight. In 24 minutes of game time, D’Lo had 0 points, two assists, and three rebounds. And if that wasn’t enough, the man went 0-of-7 in field goals and 0-of-6 in three-pointers. Reaves’ frustration is understandable.

This comes in the wake of the young guard’s self-admission to shortcomings.

Austin Reaves admitted to the need to be better after Game 2 loss

The 6’5 Arkansas native came into the league with a lot of hopes and dreams. Even when many made fun of him, calling him “a little White boy” and “trying to make it with the big dogs,” Reaves never let it get to his head. And now, he is with some of the greatest basketball players in one of the best franchises. Although they might be struggling and the Lakers are looking like a shell of the dynasty it once was, no one can take away the dominance it commanded.

The IST champion has turned out to be a solid and trustworthy piece of the team. But in the first two games of the playoffs, we saw a struggling Reaves. And after the Game 2 loss, he looked determined to make a difference. ” I got to be better scoring the ball … That’s on me and I have to be better,” he said.

But he also mentioned that it was a team effort. While Austin Reaves stepped up his game, the rest of the team barely looked alive. They have just one chance to save themselves. If the Purple & Gold cannot contain Nikola Jokić and Co. its bye-bye Finals.