In his relatively short NBA career, Austin Reaves has made a habit of having big games against the Celtics.
One of the most memorable games of his career came in the 2023-24 season when, without LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the lineup, Reaves led the purple and gold to a road win against the Celtics with a 32-point outburst.
While he didn’t have quite as notable a scoring outing in Thursday’s win, he still proved vital, finishing with 23 points on 7-13 shooting with six assists. After the contest, he spoke about being part of this Lakers-Celtics rivalry.
“I think all of us grew up, you know, watching all rivalry games and they always mean a little more,” Reaves said. “It doesn’t change when you’re a part of it. It actually probably grows even more. There’s been so many battles that the Lakers-Celtics have had in both franchise’s histories. I’m just honestly happy to be a part of it.”
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In his career, Reaves is 3-2 against the Celtics, though one of those games came in his rookie year when he only played three minutes. Much like his NBA career as a whole, Reaves has performed better and better each season.
And while it’s early on, he’s starting to gain a bit of a reputation for big games against the Celtics. There are worse things to be, particularly as a Laker, than a Celtics killer.
The Lakers-Celtics rivalry has a long, long history of memorable names attached to it. Reaves is far, far away from joining the greats, but for the present, it’s been a joy to watch him take down the Celtics multiple times.
