Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves. Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Austin Reaves joins Lakers royalty with career-high performance

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 8:41 AM ET

Whenever the Los Angeles Lakers are without Luka Doncic and LeBron James, Austin Reaves rises to the occasion.

That trend continued Sunday as Reaves posted a career-high 51 points to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists, guiding the shorthanded Lakers to a 127-120 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Austin Reaves joins Lakers royalty

With his career-best showing, Reaves became only the fifth Laker in the 21st century to score 50 or more points in a game, joining Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Shaquille O'Neal.

Furthermore, he became only the third undrafted player to score 50 or more points, joining Fred VanVleet (2021) and Phil Chenier (1972).

Reaves was at a loss for words when informed of the history he made.

"It could have been very easy for us to come here and lie down [due to the injuries], but that's not what the coaching staff has instilled in us. It was very special," Reaves said on Sunday.

The four other players this century to total 50+ points in a game for the Lakers:

1. Kobe Bryant (25x)
2. LeBron James (3x)
3. Anthony Davis (2x)
4. Shaquille O'Neal (2x) https://t.co/6QLKF6V5V2 pic.twitter.com/hwjLVpbYxt
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) October 27, 2025

Austin Reaves is turning into an All-Star

The 27-year-old showed flashes of All-Star potential last year, but is making an even stronger case three games into the new season. Reaves is averaging 34.0 points, 9.7 assists and 7.7. rebounds thus far, while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three.

If he can maintain those numbers, he is a lock to make the All-Star team in February. Reaves' case will only grow stronger the longer James and Doncic remain on the sidelines. While James has been ruled out until at least mid-November with sciatica, Doncic is expected to miss another week due to a sprained finger and lower leg contusion.

Reaves has shown he can carry the weight of the Lakers offense without Doncic and James. In two such games before Sunday, he had 45 points and seven assists against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 8, 2025, and 37 points and 13 assists against the Denver Nuggets on March 14, 2025. The Lakers went 1-1 in those games, including a close loss in Denver.

The Lakers (2-1) will next host the Portland Trail Blazers (1-2) in the second night of a back-to-back on Monday night.

Fun Fact: Austin Reaves has as many 45-point games as a Laker as Kareem and Wilt did. pic.twitter.com/QXXMHjqM9A
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 27, 2025

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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