Austin Reaves finally made his highly anticipated return to action for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. With the 6-foot-5 shooting guard back in the lineup, the Lakers defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 125-109. This was the eighth and final contest in L.A.’s extended road trip.
Reaves marked his return with 15 points on 3-of-9 shooting, four rebounds, an assist, two steals and one three-pointer in 21 minutes of action. The 27-year-old turned in a strong performance after missing 19 straight games due to a calf injury.
Reaves came off the bench in his return. The former Oklahoma Sooners standout, however, was back with the starters to open the second half.
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Jake LaRavia gave up his starting spot to Reaves after the break. The 6-foot-7 power forward had started 19 straight games for the Lakers, but he was back on the bench to start the third quarter on Tuesday night.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was asked about his decision to start Reaves in the second half. The second-year Lakers coach clarified that he wanted to give LaRavia more time to rest, per Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation.
The 24-year-old has been playing heavy minutes for L.A. of late. Redick mentioned LaRavia’s extended run in Friday’s blowout win against the Washington Wizards. The Lakers coach said that he wanted to limit LaRavia’s minutes on Wednesday. LaRavia played 22 minutes, logging 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Redick also clarified that Reaves starting the second half is not necessarily a sign of things to come. The Lakers coach did not commit to Reaves returning to the starting lineup in their next game.
L.A. will head back home for a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. They improved to 30-19 after Wednesday’s win. They remain fifth in the Western Conference.