As the final buzzer sounded, Reaves was mobbed by his teammates<\/a> after finishing one assist shy of a triple-double \u2013 posting 51 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and two steals in 39 minutes \u2013 and becoming only the fourth undrafted player to score 50 points in an NBA game.<\/p>\n The only thing that could cool him down? A locker room shower from his teammates as he entered the visiting locker room at Golden 1 Center after a tour de force for the purple and gold.<\/p>\n As Reaves dries off and the Lakers head back to L.A. for a game with the Blazers in less than 24 hours, here are four takeaways from Sunday night.<\/p>\n 1. Reaves takes the spotlight<\/p>\n Entering Sunday\u2019s game, Reaves had scored a total of 51 points through the Lakers\u2019 first two games \u2013 an impressive 25.5 ppg average that ranked 21st in the NBA.<\/p>\n He matched that total on Sunday while serving as the fulcrum of the Lakers\u2019 offense \u2013 a role usually held by Luka Don\u010di\u0107, who is expected to miss at least a week<\/a> with a finger sprain and leg contusion \u2013 and heads back to L.A. with a 34.0 ppg average, tying him for third in the NBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a small-town kid from Arkansas who went undrafted, who last year averaged 20 ball in the NBA, and just had a 50 ball,\u201d said Lakers coach JJ Redick. \u201cThese moments are incredible for him. I think his teammates see that; as a coaching staff, we see that. He just lives in the moment and he\u2019s ready for every single moment that comes.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaves admittedly got off to a slow start \u2013 he was scoreless with two missed 3-pointers and a turnover before drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt to earn his first free throws midway through the first quarter.<\/p>\n Those three free throws opened the floodgates for Reaves, who carved up the Kings\u2019 defense all night \u2013 utilizing the pick-and-roll with Ayton and creating shots for himself and his teammates, while drawing a lot of fouls.<\/p>\n Reaves finished the night with six 2-point shots and six 3-point shots \u2013 including three huge triples in the fourth quarter as the Lakers held off the home team \u2013 and a whopping 21 free throws.<\/p>\n For good measure, he added 11 boards and nine assists \u2013 creating another 18 points for the Lakers \u2013 in what could be seen as a Don\u010di\u0107 impression. For the Lakers, they\u2019ll need more of this with Don\u010di\u0107 sidelined for at least a week and the loss of Gabe Vincent, who exited the game in the third quarter on Sunday and left the arena in a walking boot.<\/p>\n 2. Reaves gets last word in trash talk with Don\u010di\u0107<\/p>\n Reaves\u2019 first 50-ball came two nights after Don\u010di\u0107 finished L.A.\u2019s win over Minnesota stuck on 49 \u2013 missing a free throw that would have given him 50 before exiting for good.<\/p>\n Reaves was sitting on 49 points when he got fouled with 23 seconds left, giving him two chances for his first 50-point game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not gonna lie, I went to the free throw line thinking \u2018I better not miss,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Reaves sank<\/a> both<\/a> to not only give him 51, but something to hold over Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n \u201cOur whole relationship is just talking trash back and forth,\u201d said Reaves after the game. \u201cTowards the end of the conversation [today], he was like, \u2018I need 60.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018[laughs] and that was the end of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaves may not hit the 60 that Don\u010di\u0107 requested, but the 51 he dropped was enough to get the job done on Sunday. Don\u010di\u0107 and James did not make the trip up north to witness Reaves\u2019 career night, but LeBron let everyone know about it on social.<\/p>\n 50 piece \ud83d\udc14 nugget!!!!! That boy AR TOOOO TOUGH!!<\/p>\n \u2014 LeBron James (@KingJames) October 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n 3. 22 is the magic number<\/p>\n Reaves may wear No. 15, but Sunday night was all about the No. 22.<\/p>\n He attempted 22 shots \u2013 making 12.<\/p>\n He attempted 22 free throws \u2013 making 21.<\/p>\n He ended the game +22 in plus\/minus \u2013 the top mark of any player on the court.<\/p>\n \u201cOn a night you don\u2019t have Luka, you don\u2019t have Bron, you don\u2019t have Jaxson [Hayes], you know you\u2019ve got to go out there and be big for the team,\u201d said Reaves. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t in my head thinking you\u2019ve got to score 50; it was, \u2018Do whatever you can do to help the team win,\u2019 and we played \u2014 not just myself but everybody \u2014 we played a hell of a game.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaves finished with a 34.3% usage rate \u2013 the second-highest mark of his career \u2013 as he played the role of scorer, playmaker and superstar on Sunday.<\/p>\n 4. Ayton wins center battle with Sabonis<\/p>\n Reaves wasn\u2019t the only player who had his best game as a Laker. Deandre Ayton finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds \u2013 including five offensive boards \u2013 as he outdueled three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds in 31 minutes as he battled foul trouble.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just keeps getting better every single day that he\u2019s with this group,\u201d said Redick of Ayton. \u201cI thought the pick-and-roll stuff was really good tonight. His pocket decision-making was really good. Love seeing him get 15 rebounds, but I think offensively that was his best night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDA played like a monster tonight, and that\u2019s what we need from him every single night,\u201d added Reaves.<\/p>\n No play summed up Ayton\u2019s night better than his last bucket<\/a>. He got the pass from Reaves on the pick-and-roll, pulled up from just inside the foul line and missed, but followed his shot, tipped the rebound away from Sabonis and back to himself for a putback slam followed by a scream with the Lakers up by eight.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what we need; we encourage him every single day to be that,\u201d said Reaves of that play by Ayton. \u201cIn the Minnesota game, he got a pocket pass and he went to try to dunk it and missed it. We ended up getting an offensive rebound for an and-1, but me and Luka went straight to DA and were like, \u2018That\u2019s what we need.\u2019 We don\u2019t care if you make it or miss it at this point \u2014 go do that \u2014 because more times than not you\u2019re gonna make it or you\u2019re gonna get fouled. We need that from him.\u201d<\/p>\n Sabonis picked up his third foul<\/a> with 4:22 left in the second quarter, which sent him to the bench for the rest of the half and further emphasized Sacramento\u2019s lack of frontcourt depth. Foul trouble is nothing new for Sabonis, who led the NBA with six disqualifications for fouling out last season.<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Brian Martin has covered the NBA and WNBA for more than 15 years. You can e-mail him here<\/a> and follow him on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/New-Gif-1.gif\")
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