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The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena on the back of a career-night from undrafted guard Austin Reaves, who received MVP chants from the home crowd.
Reaves, 24, finished the game with a career-high 35 points in 30 minutes off the bench. In his postgame press conference, he remained humble when asked about fans chanting "MVP" for him.
"Obviously, I'm not an MVP-caliber player, but for them to do that is special," Reaves said.
He added a half-dozen rebounds and assists while shooting 9-for-14 from the field, leading all scorers on the night. His only weakness was shooting the deep ball, missing three of four attempts.
Reaves won't just be remembered for his game-high 35 points. It's how he pulled it off that amazed viewers. He had a handful of highlight plays that kept the crowd engaged, including a behind-the-back pass and a smooth layup.
Austin Reaves takes over in final frame
Reaves essentially hit the dagger with the score tied at 103 and less than a minute left in the final frame.
His jumpshot gave him 31 points, getting the rest from the free throw line. Reaves went 16-for-18 from the charity stripe and only had three turnovers.
Lakers still have a lot of work left to do before securing a spot in the postseason, but every game feels like a must-win situation down the final stretch of the year.
To have "Hillbilly Kobe" save the day is music to those who follow the Purple & Gold, whose next three games are at home, starting Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.
Anthony Davis struggles shooting
Lakers center Anthony Davis struggled shooting the ball, going 6-for-15 from the field for 15 points. He didn't attempt a single shot from beyond the arc.
Davis, 30, made up for his lack of offensive output with 11 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in 34 minutes of activity.
D'Angelo Russell bounced back with four triples on his way to 18 points after a horrible performance against the Dallas Mavericks, in which he missed all six 3-point shots.
Troy Brown Jr. and Dennis Schroder were the only other two Lakers in double-digit scoring with 12 points apiece. LeBron James still has no date set for his return from injury despite optimism from head coach Darvin Ham.