Austin Reaves' 38 Sparks Lakers, Swaps Jersey With AD

Austin Reaves stole the show in the Lakers’ 129-119 win over the Mavericks, scoring a game-high 38 on 12-of-15 shooting and six 3s — then got a holiday treat swapping jerseys with former teammate Anthony Davis. Reaves called AD “one of the best players to ever touch a basketball” and admitted “I owe him a lot” after Davis’ first game since Oct. 29 (12 points, five rebounds, five assists). The win pushed L.A. to 14-4, a six-game streak, and clinched Western Conference Group B in the NBA Cup. Merlin sees symbolism in the jersey exchange: a young star’s rise blessed by a veteran who helped shape him. From undrafted in 2021 to 28.5 PPG and 6.7 APG, Reaves is now All-Star chatter — but Western depth and durability questions remain.