Fact check: Did Austin Reaves really score 73 points in a high school game?

Austin Reaves has been instrumental in the LA Lakers' success down the stretch of the season. Reaves once again came up big in Game 1 of the Lakers' first-round postseason series against the Memphis Grizzlies. The second-year guard was a high school basketball legend in the small town of Newark, Arkansas.

Reaves set a career-high in points as a senior at Cedar Ridge High School. He erupted for 73 points in a 117-115 triple overtime victory. The Lakers guard finished regulation with 55 points after scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter. He added 18 points over the three additional periods.

In his senior year at Cedar Ridge High School, Reaves averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 56% from the field, 42% from 3-point range and 78% from the free-throw line. He was able to lead Cedar Ridge to their third state championship in four years while making the First-Team All-Arkansas Prep as well as being named the Three Rivers Edition Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Austin Reaves spent the first two years of his collegiate career with the Wichita State Shockers. He averaged 6.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field, 45.1% from 3-point range and 79.8% from the free-throw line in just 16.6 minutes per game.

He spent his final two seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners, where he had a much bigger role. Reaves averaged 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 40.9% from the field, 27.7% from 3-point range and 85.7% from the free-throw line in 33.8 minutes per game.

How has Austin Reaves performed in his brief NBA career?

Austin Reaves has developed into one of the most important pieces on the LA Lakers roster. Reaves joined the Lakers on a two-way contract after going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. His contract was converted to a standard deal ahead of his rookie season due to the promise he showed.

As a rookie, Reaves averaged 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks per game in 23.2 minutes per game. He shot 45.9% from the field, 31.7% from 3-point range and 83.9% from the free-throw line.

Reaves took a big step forward in his second season, averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 52.9% from the field, 39.8% from 3-point range and 86.4% from the free-throw line.

Over the final 21 games of the season, Reaves broke out. He averaged 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting 56.8% from the field, 44.0% from 3-point range and 85.6% from the free-throw line.

In his postseason debut, Austin Reaves finished with 23 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block while shooting 8-13 from the field, 3-5 from 3-point range and 4-4 from the free-throw line. He scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter, including a crucial stretch in which he scored nine straight points for the Lakers.