Lakers News: Austin Reaves Help Team USA Stave Off High-Scoring Team Germany In Exhibition
Although the addition of Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves to Team USA's roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup may have felt like something of an afterthought early on, he's already proving that not only does he belong among this group of starry young American NBA pros, but he just might be one of the team's best players.
Team USA's fifth exhibition bout was almost its first defeat of its preseason run. Instead, thanks to the efforts of Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, Reaves and Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, the club managed to eke out a 99-91 victory over ex-Laker Dennis Schröder's feisty Team Germany squad.
It marked their first truly competitive matchup of their warmup play. With 3:51 remaining in the third quarter, Team USA trailed by a whopping 16 points. But thanks largely to the efforts of Edwards, the club mounted a ferocious late third quarter rally. All told, the Americans went on an 18-6 run to shrink Germany's edge to just four points heading into the fourth.
Edwards is currently the Americans' leading scorer with 19.2 points per. Edwards scored a whopping 34 points today. Reaves scored 16 points (five during the team's third quarter comeback) as a reserve, but more importantly he was among head coach Steve Kerr's closing group to seal the victory during a back-and-forth affair in the contest's final quarter.
Reaves, Edwards, Haliburton, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Mikal Bridges emerged as Kerr's preferred closing quintet, and the fact that they delivered -- with stars Jalen Brunson and Brandon Ingram riding pine -- may create some fascinating rotational decisions for Kerr in the weeks ahead.
Schröder notched a double-doubled for his native Germany, scoring 16 points and dishing out 10 assists. Ex-Laker Moritz Wagner scored 14 points for Team Germany as a reserve.
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