The L.A. Lakers recently lost a close game to the Orlando Magic after LeBron James and Anthony Davis each missed key free throws down the stretch that, in hindsight, would have changed the outcome of the game.
After the loss and preceding the inevitable criticism, Lakers guard Austin Reaves came to the defense of his teammates.
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“I think, no matter what, we would want AD and [LeBron] at the line,” Reaves said. “We trust those guys to knock down those shots no matter what. Next game, we’re going to give them the ball every single time. They got the confidence to go hit those.”
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Reaves is in his fourth season in the NBA and throughout his young career, he’s gotten the chance to play alongside James and Davis for a long time.
The recent criticism comes after the James-Davis duo made just two of the six combined free throws they took during the last 40 seconds of the game on Thursday.
Nevertheless, the Lakers are off to a 10-5 start to the season and are looking like a serious threat in the Western Conference.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker

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