Austin Reaves Praises New Lakers Starter For Defense on Ja Morant

The Los Angeles Lakers shut down Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday

Dec 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) reacts in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After winning ten of their previous 11 games, the Memphis Grizzlies' hot streak came to a screeching halt on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers defended their home court in a 116-110 win over the Grizzlies, backed by a 40-point outburst by star big man Anthony Davis.

The Grizzlies won the turnover, rebound, and assist battles and shot more efficiently from deep and from the line, yet the Lakers came out with the win. While basketball can be unpredictable, the Grizzlies had a strong showing, despite adding a number in their loss column.

If the Lakers did not play exceptionally better than the Grizzlies, what did they do to pull out a win? Many have gone to credit young Lakers guard Max Christie. The 21-year-old guard started his fourth game of the season and scored just seven points, but his defense against Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been the talk of LA following the win.

Morant was held to 20 points on 6-21 shooting, 2-7 from deep, and committed seven grueling turnovers. Lakers standout guard Austin Reaves had high praise for his young teammate for his defense on Morant after Sunday's win.

“Max was phenomenal tonight playing defense…His defense tonight on Ja was really good,” Reaves said. “That’s a team that’s been rolling, I think they've won 11 of their last 12. For him to do what he did, obviously gives us a very good opportunity to win the game. You want to see a kid like that succeed. A good kid, does the right things, puts a lot of work in. I think he was the first one in the gym this morning getting up shots. You tip your hat to a guy like that."

Christie has been one of the more promising young studs within the Lakers organization since getting drafted and could certainly make the most of his new starting role. LA desperately needs a defensive spark, so having a guy like Christie in there who is capable of effectively defending a star like Morant is huge.

While Morant certainly had an off-night, the Grizzlies still had a great chance to escape LA with a win. It is a good sign for the Grizzlies that they can stay in a game like this despite their star point guard's disappointing performance.

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