Austin Reaves Embraces Underdog Role, Sends Message to Thunder Before Game 1

The Los Angeles Lakers were seriously tested in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets.

What began as a surprising 3–0 stranglehold turned into a near-collapse before Los Angeles slammed the door in Game 6, winning the series 4–2 with a dominant 98–78 closeout performance on Friday.

Austin Reaves, coming off a late-season oblique strain, missed the first four games of the series before struggling in his return back in the Lakers’ narrow 99-93 loss in Game 5.

He put up 22 points, six assists, and four rebounds in 34 minutes, but shot just 25% from the field (4-of-16) and went 2-of-8 from three.

He then settled into a complementary role with 15 points in 31 minutes in the clincher, but showed up on defense with three blocks.

Now, as attention turns to Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, Reaves has sent a strong message to the defending champions.

“Nobody thought we were going to get past Houston, but everybody in this building believed. It’s the same mindset going into this,” Reaves told reporters Sunday.

The Thunder currently sit as 15.5-point favorites for Game 1.

More news: Is Devin Booker Too Comfortable in Phoenix? Stephen A. Smith Thinks So

The Thunder finished the 2025-26 regular season with a dominant 64–18 record, securing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs for a second straight year.

That dominance carried directly into the postseason as OKC dismantled the Phoenix Suns in the first round, completing a commanding 4–0 sweep behind efficient offense and suffocating defense.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has again led the attack, averaging 33.8 points (most in the NBA playoffs) and 8.0 assists in the series, while the Thunder routinely overwhelmed Phoenix with depth and shot-making.

Now, OKC will host the Lakers, who will be without star Luka Doncic to start the series, putting added pressure on Reaves and LeBron James.

More news: Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley Rip Cavaliers Ahead of Game 7 vs. Raptors

More news: Anthony Edwards Injury Update Emerges Before Timberwolves-Spurs Game 1

The Thunder enter this series as overwhelming favorites, and not by a small margin.

The defining matchup centers on Gilgeous-Alexander's control of tempo versus the Lakers' perimeter defense, while LeBron James' ability to manage minutes and still dictate late-game offense looms just as large.

Depth is Oklahoma City's biggest weapon, especially against a Lakers team coming off a physically taxing first round and still managing injuries.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 1:04 PM.