Reaves' game-winner helps Lakers win Christmas classic between LeBron, Steph

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Lakers star LeBron James drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins during the second half on Wednesday night in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

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SAN FRANCISCO — The Lakers were without one of their best players for all but seven minutes of their Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

Despite Anthony Davis’ early exit Wednesday because of a left ankle injury, the Lakers pulled out a 115-113 victory over the Warriors after Austin Reaves’ game-winning layup in a matchup that featured two all-time great players adding another chapter to their historic rivalry.

“Austin’s a fearless competitor,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And going back to very early in his career, he’s not afraid of big moments or big games or having the ball in his hands. He relishes that as a competitor.”

LeBron James (31 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot) and Warriors star Steph Curry (38 points on 8-of-15 shooting from 3-point range and six assists), whose teams had matched up in four previous Christmas Day games (2015-18), showed they’re still among the league’s best players despite being in the latter stages of their careers.

“It’s always a blast,” Curry said about playing against James on Christmas. “The competitive spirit, the history, his greatness allows me to just appreciate all that we’ve been through, all the battles back and forth. And the fact that in 2024 we’re still doing it, somehow the games are pretty electric and must-see-TV type situations, I love it.

“I know like we’ve talked about it leading up to and we’ll probably talk about it until it’s actually real, you don’t know how many opportunities you’ll get to do it on this type of stage. You relish in it and that’s why it sucked so much to lose. Just because these are kind of those moments that matter a little bit more.”

When asked what’s good about the NBA despite the discourse surrounding the league’s ratings, 3-point volume and the state of the game, James responded: “LeBron and Steph … [expletive].”

But it was James’ team that made the necessary plays down the stretch to pull out their fifth win in their last seven games, putting the Lakers at 17-13 on the season, and giving the Warriors (15-14) their 11th loss in their past 14.

“It’s always difficult to play without A.D., so I guess our job is even more heightened, we have to do a little bit more,” James said after the win. “Everyone has to chip in, especially on the defensive end because A.D. is our anchor. I thought guys did a great job of just playing off one another, getting to where we wanted to get to offensively and also being able to buckle down and get timely stops versus a really good offensive team.”

The win, without one of their stars, certainly gives the Lakers something they can try to build on.

“When you get a win like that on the road, a big game, it just does nothing but puts confidence in the group to continue to strive to be better,” Reaves said. “This is one game out of 82. But winning games like this means a lot.”

After the Warriors cut the Lakers’ nine-point lead to 97-94 with just under five minutes left, Reaves scored back-to-back buckets on a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer and a runner on the Lakers’ next two possessions to put the Lakers up by eight.

Max Christie, who finished with 16 points, four rebounds, made a pair of free throws to give the Lakers a 104-94 lead with 3½ minutes left.

The Warriors, thanks to Curry, didn’t go down without a fight.

Curry scored 17 of his points in the fourth quarter – eight in the final 26 seconds, including a corner 3-pointer while under pressure to make it a one-point game with 12 seconds left and a pull-up 31-footer to tie the score at 113 apiece with seven seconds left.

“When you got a great player out there,” James said, “you tip your hat and you just try to execute the next possession.”

And that’s exactly what the Lakers did when Reaves drove past Andrew Wiggins (21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists) for the game-deciding basket with a second left.

“The play was not for me,” Reaves said. “We were trying to get Bron the ball at the top of the key. But Draymond took him away, I think Wiggins jumped it a little bit too. And then when I caught it, five seconds is a long time when it comes to basketball. And the last thing you want to do is go too early. Something happens, miss, go out of bounds, and then you give Steph an opportunity to chuck one from 85 feet and that’d be a horrible way to lose. So really just wanted to get the last shot, wanted to get a good look.”

The Warriors didn’t get a shot off before the final buzzer.

“The patience with 6.6 seconds to just get the ball and let the play develop and let us get to our space, that was the biggest thing,” Redick said. “Not going fast, and allowing us to get him room to operate. Wiggins is a great defender. Austin has a deceptive burst off the bounce and it was a game-changer for us.”

James expressed confidence that Reaves can deliver in those situations.

“It got to a hand that we trust,” James said. “The play was drawn up for me, they doubled me at the top of the key. It’s always great to have great options out on the floor at the same time. AR’s been in that position before.”

Reaves finished with his first triple-double of the season and second of his career with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The fourth-year guard became the second Laker, joining Russell Westbrook (2021), and 10th player in league history to post a triple-double on Christmas, according to the team.

“I’m not really an emotional person,” Reaves said. “But when I was doing (a postgame) radio (interview) out there, sitting on the scorers’ table, I got the game ball, threw it at the [D’Angelo Russell], there was a quick second where I thought I might tear up. And that doesn’t happen a lot. But it’s Christmas, I know my parents are back home watching. I know my brother’s probably up in Germany right now. I know all my people back home are locked in and sitting around with family watching the game and that means a lot to me.

“I say it all the time, I’m not necessarily supposed to be in this position. I got lucky, got my foot in the door and took advantage of an opportunity. And now I’m sitting here on Christmas with a game-winner and a triple-double. And really the win that matters the most to me.”

Rui Hachimura scored 18 points on a season-best 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Rookie Dalton Knecht added 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting off the bench for his second double-digit scoring outing of December, and first since the Dec. 6 road loss to the Atlanta Hawks, after scoring in double figures in seven of nine games from Nov. 13-29.

James played in his league-record 19th Christmas Day game. His 11th win broke a tie with former Miami teammate Dwyane Wade for the most victories by an individual player on Christmas.

“Just enjoying the moment,” James said. “Being thankful and a lot of gratitude to be able to play the game that I love and do it on such a beautiful day. I don’t take it for granted and to be able to go against one of the greatest to ever play the game and one of the greatest franchises since I’ve been in the league, it’s always a plus.”

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Reaves’ game-winner helps Lakers win Christmas classic between LeBron, Steph

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