Austin Reaves Goes Face-to-Face With a Pistons Courtside Fan in a 43-Point Night, Waves Goodbye After His Dagger 3 and Plays Coy Afterward
On Sunday night, November 8, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116 on the road behind a season-high 43 points from guard Austin Reaves. What traveled even further than the result was his game-long exchange with one courtside fan: footage of the two going face-to-face just before halftime spread across social media, and after hitting a dagger three-pointer in the final minute, Reaves made a point of waving goodbye to the same fan.
According to New York Post beat reporter Khobi Price, who was at the game, the fan, wearing a white T-shirt, dark pants and gold chains, had been trash-talking Reaves from the early going. According to Pro Football Network, in the final seconds of the first half Reaves tumbled toward the sideline after a foul and landed right in front of the fan, and the two immediately traded words face-to-face, a moment that circulated on X and other platforms that night.
Detroit closed in during the fourth quarter and the Lakers' lead was down to 109-104. With 46 seconds left, Reaves hit a difficult three-pointer to push it to 112-104. According to Lakers Daily and other outlets, he then turned, waved toward the fan and pointed at him, and the two exchanged a few more words in the closing moments. Asked about his favorite play of the game, teammate Ziaire Williams said: "The AR dagger three, that one hit 'em right in the chest, boy. You could just hear the crowd like, 'Ahhhh.'"
Asked after the game about his interactions with the fan, Reaves only smiled and said: "I don't know what you're talking about." According to Basketball Network, he flashed a sly smile as he said it and gave the fan no further attention. With Lakers star Luka Dončić sidelined by back tightness, Reaves played 37 minutes and finished with 43 points, five rebounds and four assists on 14-of-27 shooting, 4-of-6 from three and 11-of-11 at the free-throw line. The win lifted the Lakers to 9-2, still atop the Western Conference, with a road game against the Atlanta Hawks next on the second night of a back-to-back.
Related: Lakers Beat Pistons 121-116 on the Road: Reaves Scores 43 With Doncic Out
Source: New York Post
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Austin Reaves资料图，2022年3月身穿湖人15号球衣出赛（Erik Drost摄，CC BY 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons），非本场比赛画面。/ File photo: Austin Reaves in a Lakers No. 15 jersey in March 2022 (by Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons); not a photo from this game.
