In his relatively short NBA career, Austin Reeves has become accustomed to having big games against a team 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, Reeves led the purple and gold to a 32-point win over the Celtics.
Although he didn’t perform of note in Thursday’s win, he proved valuable, finishing with 23 points on 7-13 shooting and six assists. After the contest, he talked about being part of the rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics.
“I think we all grew up, you know, watching all the rivalry games, and it always means more stuff,” Reeves said. “It doesn’t change when you’re a part of it. In fact it probably grows more. There have been many Lakers-Celtics battles in the history of both franchises. I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
For his career, Reeves is 3-2 against the Celtics, although one of those games came in his rookie year when he played just three minutes. Just like his NBA career as a whole, Reaves has gotten better and better each season.
And while it’s still early days, he’s starting to gain some reputation in big games against the Celtics. There are worse things, especially as a Laker, than being a hit man on the Celtics.
The Lakers-Celtics rivalry has a very long history of memorable names associated with it. Reeves is a long way from joining the greats, but nowadays, he’s had the pleasure of watching him defeat the Celtics multiple times.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @jacobrod.
