Following a statement win over the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers have now strung together a season-best nine-game winning streak, with Austin Reaves playing a key role on both ends of the floor.
While the Lakers have faced questions about consistency throughout the season, this recent stretch has shown a different side of the group, one built on adaptability and growing chemistry. R
eaves made it clear the team’s confidence is exactly where it needs to be right now.
“Good,” Reaves said on Spectrum SportsNet. “We’ve done it in different ways. We’ve won ugly games where it wasn’t great offensively, we’ve won with our defense, and then we’ve dominated some games offensively. But just getting in a rhythm playing alongside one another, having fun and getting wins.”
That balance has been the difference. Whether it’s grinding out defensive battles or exploding offensively, the Lakers are finding ways to win, something that had been missing earlier in the season.
The shift also reflects a stronger collective mindset. Competing on every possession has become a clear focus, and Reaves says that mentality has been ingrained in him for years.
“At a young age, I never won anything,” he said. “With my brother being two years older than me … Basketball, baseball, tennis, ping-pong, he never let me win anything. So I grew a hatred to losing … Winning is — it fixes everything.”
That edge is now showing up across the roster. LeBron James diving for loose balls, Luka Doncic creating havoc defensively, and Reaves himself consistently stepping up in key moments.
Head coach JJ Redick has kept the group aligned, even through earlier struggles, and the buy-in is now translating into results.
In a tightly contested Western Conference, momentum matters, and right now, the Lakers have plenty of it.
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