Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves said the team needs to quickly move past its Dec. 1, 2025 blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena and regain its usual intensity before heading out on a three-game trip.
The Suns ran away with one of the Lakers’ worst defeats of the young season, overwhelming a lineup led by Reaves and Luka Doncic. Both scorers, who recently set a franchise mark as a tandem, struggled throughout the night.
“We played like shit. One of those games,” Reaves said after the game. “We played bad, they played harder than us. That can’t happen.”
Reaves added that matching opponents’ effort is non-negotiable. “If we play as hard as the other team, then we put ourselves in position to win,” he said.
The 27-year-old accepted responsibility for five turnovers, noting one sequence in which he simply dribbled the ball out of bounds. “I was bad in that aspect, so I gotta be better,” he said.
Looking ahead, Reaves believes the only remedy is to forget the loss and prepare for road games against the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. “I think you more so just flush this one,” he said. “You remember what the energy was like, and you do the opposite of that.”
Despite the setback, Reaves’ scoring touch continues to draw league-wide attention; Suns center Deandre Ayton recently praised the guard’s ability to score from all levels.
Source: LakersNation.com
