Austin Reaves has said he “loved” Lebron James’ rant during a fourth-quarter timeout as the Los Angeles Lakers returned to winning ways in the NBA with a 134-127 win at the Memphis Grizzlies founded on 85 points between the pair and Luka Doncic.
After a last-gasp defeat at the Chicago Bulls on Friday, the Lakers cemented fourth place in the Western Conference above the Grizzlies, although their opponents won the third quarter by eight points to reduce the deficit to three.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard him yell in a while,” Reaves said of James. “It was refreshing, to be honest – I loved it. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but it just shows how much he cares.
“His attention to detail is probably the standard, so if all of us can lock into that on every single possession, you can create something special.”
✨ Reaves, Luka, LeBron shine for LA ✨
Reaves: 31 PTS | 7 REB | 8 AST | 5 3PM
Luka: 29 PTS | 8 REB | 9 AST | 2 STL
LeBron: 25 PTS | 6 REB | 8 AST | 3 STLThe Lakers’ star trio led them to a huge victory in the Western Conference standings 🤩 pic.twitter.com/wm8YTRt4mC
— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2025
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Reaves vs Grizzlies: LeBron, Doncic ‘so good’
Reaves scored the most points of anyone at the FedExForum, contributing 31 with seven rebounds and eight assists for his highest tally in eight games.
Doncic added 29 points with eight rebounds and nine assists, and James finished on 25 points with six rebounds and eight assists.
“LeBron and Luka are so good that they make my life easy,” said Reaves. “They’re unselfish players who like to play the game the right way and unbelievable passers, both of them.
“So you try to get the best outcome on every single possession. If we lock into doing that, I feel like we can get a good shot with every possession. It’s having that creativity.”
Austin Reaves ices it for the Lakers with this TOUGH and-1 floater 🧊
Lakers stay at #4 in the West! pic.twitter.com/qNT4LJmgfl
— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2025
LeBron ‘galvanised’ Lakers vs Grizzlies
Lakers coach JJ Redick said LeBron had been an “incredible leader” during the win. “I challenged the group in a time-out and he was as vocal as he’s been since he got back from [a groin] injury [on March 23],” said Redick.
“That galvanised the group. It was about communication and what he said. If he doesn’t say what he said in the time-out, we probably don’t win the game.”
The Lakers are next in action when they host the Houston Rockets on Monday (22:00 ET) in the first of four games next week.
They host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday (22:00) and the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday (22:30) before visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday (15:30).
