James lauds Reaves' 'beautiful' performance against Nets

Reaves scored a career-high 38 points in the game, dragging the Los Angeles Lakers over the line to go 22-17, which has them sixth in the Western Conference.

The performance came against a Nets team that had D'Angelo Russell playing in it, having been traded from the Lakers earlier in the season after Reaves had beaten him to the spot in the Los Angeles team.

“He’s in his process and he’s taking the opportunity and he’s running with it,” said James on Reaves' performance.

“Literally running with it. And I love every moment that he’s given the opportunity to go out and showcase his talent with the best players in the world and he’s showing every night that he belongs. It’s a beautiful thing to see.”

Russell himself had the chance to win the game for the Nets, following a run of Reaves misses in the final two minutes, but he was not able to convert his three-point attempt.

Despite Reaves' performance, the game itself was a difficult one for the Lakers who had just come off a 59-point defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Career-high 38 & the W: Headband AR. pic.twitter.com/W66MMbev1z

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 18, 2025

Coach JJ Redick was unhappy with how things went, especially from a defensive point of view. When asked about the performance, he said: "We weren't very good tonight."

James and Reaves scored 25 of their team's 30 points inside the fourth quarter, with the latter suggesting that they just did what had to be done in the circumstances.

“JJ wasn’t happy on the sideline. I’m sure y’all could guess because we weren’t playing well, so it was warranted,” Reaves said.

“So, me and Bron had a conversation at center court: ‘Just figure out a way to win the game.’ We know it hasn’t been pretty.