In a playoff series that boasts stars like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., there were two unlikely heroes who helped decide the outcome of Game 1.
The Lakers duo of Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves stole the show in Memphis, helping Los Angeles swipe the opener on the road.
Hachimura matched Lakers history by scoring 29 points off the bench, keeping his team in the game long enough until the Lakers' closer took over. And while you would assume that closer would be James or Davis, it was Reaves who left a lasting impression in his NBA Playoffs debut.
The Lakers led 108-106 with 4:38 to play when Reaves' fourth-quarter takeover commenced. It began with a smooth behind-the-back dime to the red-hot Hachimura for 3 to extend Los Angeles' lead, and then continued with Reaves scoring his team's next nine points to put the game away.
Reaves buried a midrange pull-up, then answered a Jackson 3-pointer with a nice drive to the rim. He hit a 3-ball on the Lakers' next offensive position and then got a midrange heat check to drop. He scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Reaves was mic'd up for the contest and his message during his closeout was clear: "I'm him!"
'I'M HIM"
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 16, 2023
Austin Reaves letting the world know 🗣 pic.twitter.com/9y15iGbAh0
Reaves' performance caught the eye of other NBA superstars, as players like Damian Lillard and Trae Young took to Twitter to praise the Lakers' unsung hero.
My bad … Reaves like that 🙏🏽
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) April 16, 2023
Austin Reaves getting that bag this summer.. My boy cookin!!
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 16, 2023
After the win, James was back on the same wave as his viral meme where he claims to have known the future.
"It's not surprising to me," James said of Reaves stepping up. "I knew from the first practice we had when we grabbed him that he wasn't going to be a two-way player for long. A couple weeks went by and I knew he was going to get a guaranteed contract at some point."
"I've been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players," James continued. "I know the type of players that fit with my game and I knew Austin would be that right away. I give a lot of credit to (former) coach (Frank) Vogel for throwing him into the fire and let him learn on the fly. Allow him to make mistakes and allow him to play through a lot of stuff.
"But I knew the type of player we was able to get in Austin. It's not surprising, what he was doing tonight."
"I'm extremely happy for him and I want him to do it again," he concluded, with a smile.
"I knew from the first practice we had...he wasn't going to be a two-way player for long."
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 16, 2023
LeBron knew Austin Reaves was special from day one 🤝 pic.twitter.com/yTSalzAGET
Reaves' next opportunity to step up will be in Game 2 of the series on Wednesday, April 18, in Memphis (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT). You can find the full series schedule here.
