Austin Reaves accomplished something Friday night that only Kobe Bryant had ever done before in a Lakers jersey.
That’s quite the company to keep as far as Los Angeles basketball history is concerned.
Reaves put up 22 points and 10 assists in the first half against the Nuggets. He’s just the second player in Lakers history to have a half with 20-plus points and 10-plus assists in the play-by-play era, according to the NBA. Bryant was the first.
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Reaves reached the record-setting mark by pulling up for a 3-pointer in Nikola Jokic’s face with 30 seconds left in the half.
Usage was sky-high for Reaves due to the absences of LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
The Lakers jumped out to a 40-32 lead after one in a high-scoring first, but then lost the second quarter by a 12-point margin to trail at the half despite Reaves’ huge opening.
Reaves actually also stands alone on one other list thanks to his five first-half rebounds. In Bryant’s 20-10 half, he didn’t have that many rebounds. So if you expand it to a 20-5-10 half, it’s only Reaves in a legendary Lakers history.
Los Angeles will certainly take all it can get from Reaves, but the Lakers will be hoping everyone can be back on the court healthy by the time the playoffs roll around.
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