Austin Reaves Addresses Lakers Decision After LeBron James Development

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 7:33 AM ET

It was LeBron James and Luka Doncic who stole the show for the Los Angeles Lakers in Thursday’s 134-126 win over the Miami Heat.

James turned in another triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Doncic, on the other hand, went off for 60 points on 18-of-30 from the floor, to go along with nine three-pointers, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals.

The Lakers’ third star, Austin Reaves, took a back seat on Thursday night. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard logged 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two triples in 40 minutes of action. It wasn’t exactly a mind-blowing performance from Reaves, but he still played a pivotal role in L.A.’s win.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

What makes the Lakers’ victory even more impressive is that it was the second night of a back-to-back set for them. They took down the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, 124-116. The Lakers then had to fly to South Beach for Thursday’s matchup against Miami.

It has been standard practice for the Lakers to have their stars sit out on back-to-backs. This was not the case against the Heat, though, with the Big 3 all suiting up.

After the game, Reaves addressed his decision to play for a second time in two nights. The 27-year-old admitted that it had a lot to do with James also deciding to take the court against his former team.

"When [LeBron] said he was playing, I couldn't let a 41-year-old play, and I don't," Reaves said.

James is 14 years the senior of Reaves. He’s also in Year 23 of his illustrious NBA career, while Reaves is merely in his fifth NBA season.

As Reaves said, he just wasn’t going to allow himself to sit out the second night of a back-to-back set after learning about James’ decision to play.

The good news for the Lakers is that they get the night off on Friday. Their next game is against the Orlando Magic on Saturday. It will be another road matchup for L.A., which will be seeking its ninth straight win.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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