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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Jelani Scott

Austin Reaves’s ‘I’m Him’ Heroics Carry Lakers Late in Game 1 Win Over Grizzlies

Austin Reaves LA (Organization) Lakers Grizzlies Game 1 LeBron James Anthony Davis Rui Hachimura Memphis

The Lakers stunned the Grizzlies on Sunday after stealing Game 1 of their first-round series with a 128–112 win in Memphis. But, while L.A. turned plenty of heads with the dominant victory, the biggest story coming out of the matchup revolved around the stellar play of guard Austin Reaves.

After scoring nine points through the first three quarters, Reaves erupted for 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers run away with the game. The second-year guard made big plays as a ball-handler and scorer en route to finishing the game with 23 points, four assists and three rebounds, but the crowning moment of his afternoon came in the midst of his own personal show-stealing run. 

With the Lakers up 111–109 with 3:29 to play, Reaves rattled off nine-straight points to boost the lead, with the last two points coming after he hung in the air for a tough fadeaway jumper in the lane. Moments after making the crucial shot, Reaves let the world know how he felt about his monster game and ran down the floor yelling “I’m him” toward the Lakers bench. 

Despite playing on a team headlined by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves’s “I’m him” declaration felt more than appropriate considering his clutch performance. Not to mention, Reaves’s run began after he dished a smooth behind-the-back pass to Rui Hachimura, who finished with a team-high 29 points, for a big three to put L.A. up 111–106. 

Coming into the matchup, Reaves had been in the midst of an impressive stretch of performances since joining the starting lineup for the last 10 games of the regular season. But, when it was all said and done, the 24-year-old managed to take his game to another level in what was the first playoff game of his young career. 

As the Lakers continue to celebrate the Game 1 win, many NBA fans—and even a few players—took to Twitter to react to Reaves’s big day. Needless to say, the former two-way player is likely going to have a ton of new fans over the next 24 hours.

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