Austin Reaves was the star of the show when the Luka Doncic-less Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116 at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday. Reaves’ play wasn’t the only reason he made headlines that night, though, as he also confronted a Pistons fan by getting in his face at the end of the first half.
Reaves refused to speak on the incident after the game, but we now seemingly know what was said thanks to a lip reader.
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“Hey, you’re f***ing a**,” the fan said.
Reaves, who was on the floor after a collision with Ron Holland II, was a bit surprised by the comment and wondered if that was aimed at him. The 28-year-old then asked the fan what was wrong with them, and the individual proceeded to go a few steps further.
“I said, ‘You’re bad,'” the fan said. “Don’t know what you’re waiting for. Swing on me. F***ing swing ’em. Swing on me.”
This fan was instigating Reaves, who was clearly unhappy but kept his hands to himself.
“You was talking crazy,” Reaves said. “That’s bulls***.”
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At this point, a fan seated next to the individual chimed in, calling Reaves soft.
“Acting like you would jump me,” Reaves said. “What’s good then?”
Matisse Thybulle then intervened to make sure this situation didn’t escalate. This was just a bizarre NSFW fan interaction.
Reaves would get the last laugh, as he drilled a huge three-pointer in the final minute to put the Lakers up 112-104. The undrafted guard taunted the fan as he ran back down the court, waving goodbye.
Reaves finished with 43 points (14-27 FG), five rebounds, and four assists against the Pistons. To put in that kind of performance without Doncic (out with lower back tightness) against a stout Pistons defense was special.
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Reaves had actually been struggling running the offense when Doncic subbed out of games this season. Questions were being asked about whether he could actually be a quality second option, and he silenced his doubters with this performance.
Getting back to that fan, it appears this was the same individual whom Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray wanted to fight during a game against the Pistons in March 2023.
This fan is asking for trouble. Taunt the wrong NBA player on the wrong day, and you might get a repeat of the Malice at the Palace.
Reaves also wasn’t the only Laker to be upset with a Pistons fan on this night. The usually composed Bronny James took offense to comments made by another fan and got into a heated back-and-forth. Lakers staffers had to restrain James before the situation escalated. This fan was ejected from the game, a fate that the one who taunted Reaves avoided. These individuals need to start behaving better.
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The Lakers improved to 9-2 with this win over the Pistons and then hit 10-2 by beating the Atlanta Hawks 124-114 on Monday. Doncic was back for this game against the Hawks, but Reaves missed it due to illness. He’ll be keen to get back on the court and build on that 40-point outing when the Lakers take on the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
