Austin Reaves’ career-high night gets even sweeter with his family members’ reaction

Austin Reaves’ family was just as surprised by the LA Lakers star after he exploded for a career-high 51 points against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

The Lakers relied on Reaves with LeBron James and Luka Doncic sidelined due to injuries. The guard rose to the occasion, leading his team to a 127-120 victory. Reaves finished with 51 points, nine assists and 11 rebounds, shooting 12-for-22, including 6-for-10 from 3-point range.

After the game, Reaves' family and girlfriend raved about his performance on social media. His girlfriend Jenna Barber reshared the NBA's post highlighting his career-high night on Instagram.

“❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥,” Barber wrote.

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Reaves has been with Jenna Barber since 2014. The couple were high school sweethearts and started dating while attending Cedar Ridge High School in Newark, New Jersey.

Reaves' stepmother, Kam Reaves and his brother Spencer, also reacted to his performance, sharing his stats on their Instagram accounts:

Reaves' family reacts to his career-high night

“I need 60 tonight”: How Luka Doncic’s pre-game text inspired Austin Reaves’ career-night

Since Luka Doncic’s arrival in Los Angeles, he and Austin Reaves seem to have developed a friendship as the two can constantly be seen chirping on the sidelines.

“Me and Luka, our whole relationship is just talking trash back and forth. Towards the end of the conversation, he was like, 'I need 60 tonight,' and I was like, 'Hahaha'," Reaves said after his career night against the Kings

Reaves drained two free throws to reach his total of 51 points. Doncic found himself in a similar situation during Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Slovenian guard missed a free throw that would’ve put him at 50 points.

Austin Reaves understandably did not let him live it down:

"I ain't gonna lie, I went to the free-throw line and I'm like 'S*** I better not miss.'"

The Lakers are 2-1 following Sunday’s win and will return to action on Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Sameer Khan