Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves revealed that his dad texted him after he received a technical foul in the Lakers’ preseason matchup with the Golden State Warriors.
During the game, Reaves was upset after being called for a foul against Warriors star Stephen Curry, as he felt it was similar to a play where he didn’t receive a call earlier in the night.
Austin Reaves speaks about what he's looking to get out of the final two preseason games and why he got called for a technical foul. pic.twitter.com/lM1Oj7ClGm
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 14, 2023
“I just felt like there was a similar play in the first quarter when I pump faked and tried to step through towards the basket to shoot a little floater, but I talked to the ref about it, and he said it was two totally different plays,” Reaves said. “He said I fouled Steph with my hands — it wasn’t my jumping towards him.”
The Lakers guard then shared that his dad reached out to him about the technical foul.
“My dad texted me about that, and I apologized to the ref,” Reaves said. “So, my bad.”
The Lakers dropped Friday night’s preseason tilt to the Warriors, losing 129-125.
Reaves was the second-leading scorer for the Lakers, putting up 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. He also added three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Since it’s the preseason, Reaves, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and company didn’t play their normal minutes, but Reaves still found a way to succeed when he was on the floor.
The technical foul may have been a negative part of the night for the Lakers guard, but he seemed to come to an understanding with the official afterward.
The Lakers are hoping for big things from Reaves this season after they signed him to a four-year deal this offseason. Reaves was a restricted free agent, but he decided to remain in Los Angeles.
That’s great news for the Lakers since the rising star really became a key part of the team’s success last season.
He averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc last season, making a major leap from his rookie campaign.
He then backed that play up in the playoffs, increasing his numbers while helping the Lakers make the Western Conference Finals. In the playoffs, Reaves averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from 3-point range.
Hopefully, Reaves can avoid picking up any more technical fouls in the preseason as the Lakers prepare for the start of the 2023-24 regular season.
