The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a big win against the Orlando Magic last night, catapulted by a career-high 35 points from sophomore Austin Reaves.
Reaves shot 18 free throws and converted 16 of them, as those shots ended up deciding a close game. Anthony Davis joked about how he and LeBron James wish they could get calls like Reaves.
The amount of free throws Reaves has been shooting in the last 5 Lakers games has alarmed fans, as he’s currently outpacing superstars like Stephen Curry to the line. Fans and LeBron himself have also complained about the lack of calls he receives, with arguably the most famous missed call of the season costing the Lakers a game against the Celtics.
Reaves’s ability to get to the line is something he credits to studying James Harden and Trae Young. He has averaged 3.8 free throw attempts a game this season but is averaging 7.3 free throws a game since LeBron got hurt and 10.0 attempts per game in the last 5 games.
Will The Lakers End The Season As A Top-6 Seed?
The Lakers will be hoping that they can somehow keep pace with the rest of the West. Despite costly losses, the Lakers are just 1.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks, who are currently the 6th seed. If they had beaten the Mavs and the Houston Rockets, the Lakers could have been as high as the 5th seed in the West.
They have one of the easiest schedules going forward, with 2 major challenges against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers on the calendar. There are tricky games against the likes of the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz, and Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Lakers will hope LeBron James returns soon and can help them knock out those much-needed wins.
Source: fadeawayworld
