Reaves and the Lakers are soaring right now.
The Los Angeles Lakers weren't at their sharpest on Monday night, and they knew it.
But that didn't stop them from walking out of the Toyota Center with a 100-92 win over the Houston Rockets, extending their winning streak to six games and moving to 43-25 on the season.
After the game, Austin Reaves didn't try to sugarcoat what happened on the court.
"We didn't have our best stuff, but being able to scrap and claw the win out of that is really good," Reaves said.
The Lakers shot just 44 percent from the field and a rough 23.5 percent from three, and Reaves himself struggled offensively with 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting while going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.
But what Reaves lacked in shooting, he made up for with his all-around game, finishing with five assists, four steals, and three rebounds in a night where his playmaking and defense kept the Lakers afloat.
Luka Carried the Scoring Load
Luka Doncic was the engine for the Los Angeles Lakers offense, pouring in 36 points on 14-of-27 shooting to go along with six rebounds and four assists.
It was his sixth straight game with 30 or more points, and during this six-game winning streak, he has averaged 37.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game.
Doncic hit back-to-back threes late in the third quarter to flip a halftime deficit into a lead, and from there the Lakers never looked back.
LeBron James added 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists, including a poster dunk in the final minute that put the game away.
The Defense Sealed It
The story of the fourth quarter was all about the Los Angeles Lakers defense.
Houston managed just 12 points in the final period and went 1-for-10 from the field down the stretch as the Lakers locked in on that end of the floor.
The Rockets committed 24 turnovers on the night compared to just 12 for the Lakers, and Los Angeles turned those mistakes into 21 points while also racking up 14 steals as a team.
Houston was without Alperen Sengun due to lower back pain, but the Rockets still got solid performances from Jabari Smith Jr. with 22 points and Amen Thompson with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Kevin Durant added 18 but committed seven turnovers in what was a frustrating night for the Rockets star.
Why the Lakers Are Rolling Right Now
This win says a lot about where the Los Angeles Lakers are heading into the final stretch.
They have now won eight of their last nine games and sit third in the Western Conference, a full game and a half ahead of Houston at 41-26.
What makes this streak different is how it has happened.
They took down the Denver Nuggets in overtime on Saturday behind Doncic's game-winning shot, dropped 142 on the Bulls on Thursday, and beat the Knicks and Timberwolves before that.
The combination of Doncic averaging 32.9 points per game on the season and Reaves chipping in 23.7 points per game gives the Lakers a scoring duo that can beat you in different ways on any given night.
Even when Reaves has an off shooting night like Monday, he still finds ways to impact the game, and that kind of versatility is what separates good teams from great ones.
The two teams will run it back Wednesday night at the Toyota Center, and the Lakers will be looking to make it seven in a row.