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Dave McMenamin reports that the LA Lakers will put Austin Reaves in the starting lineup after having a career game against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. The Lakers face the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night and Reaves will take the starting position in place of Malik Beasley.
This is thanks to an impressive outing Austin Reaves had against the Magic on Sunday. Reaves carried the LA Lakers to a 111-105 victory by adding a career-high 35 points alongside six rebounds and six assists. Austin has always been a solid role player for the Lakers, but Sunday's game against Orlando was the nail in the coffin.
The LA Lakers need to beat the Phoenix Suns
The question now is, can Reaves have a repeat performance against the Suns? No one is expecting Austin to have another 30-point game. However, being put in the starting lineup means that he's expected to play efficiently. This is a crucial game for the Lakers given that they only have a few games left to secure a postseason spot. Winning this game will boost LA's rank to ninth place.
Easier said than done though. Despite not having Kevin Durant in the lineup, Phoenix is more than capable of beating the Lakers. Devin Booker is coming off from a 46-point game against the OKC Thunder on Sunday. LA also has to deal with Chris Paul's impeccable playmaking abilities.
Fortunately, Anthony Davis will still be in the lineup in a must-win game for the Lakers. Davis will have to kick it up a notch if he wants to successfully lead the Lakeshow to victory.
AD hasn’t exactly been at his best in the past couple of games in terms of scoring. However, his defensive efforts have stayed consistent.
On Sunday, Davis had a double-double outing to help Austin Reaves win the game. He had 15 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. “The Brow” also had another double-double outing with 26 points and 10 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks last Friday. If AD can crank up his scoring while staying efficient on defense, the LA Lakers shouldn’t have a problem facing the Suns.
