Austin Reaves had a night to forget during Tuesday’s 108-90 Game 1 blowout road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Los Angeles Lakers star looked out of sorts against the defending NBA champions’ defensive pressure en route to a historically bad shooting performance that sparked major outrage.
NBA World Piles On Austin Reaves After Abysmal 8-Point Game 1 vs. Thunder
With the Lakers’ top player, Luka Dončić, still sidelined with a left hamstring strain, they needed big-time offensive showings from Reaves and his veteran co-star, LeBron James, to put up a respectable fight against the league’s No. 1 regular-season defense.
While LeBron delivered a game-high 27 points on efficient 12-for-17 shooting (70.6%) at age 41, Reaves was unable to get going as he was persistently hounded by OKC’s defensive standouts, including Cason Wallace and Luguentz Dort.
Reaves finished with just 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists on 3-for-16 shooting (18.8%), missing all 5 of his 3-point attempts. He also racked up 4 turnovers, with his questionable shot selection, poor decision-making, and overall inability to assert himself offensively, leaving Lakers fans expressing frustration on X.
AUSTIN REAVES SOLD GAME 1 FOR LA 😭 pic.twitter.com/CvxL9qoMvg
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) May 6, 2026
“Pains me to say this, but I really can’t believe what I’m seeing from Austin Reaves. It’s not the missed shots. It’s the acceptance and the fear. OKC defenders have broken him. Never thought I would admit this. He’s not playing hard. He’s fully submitting to OKC’s will for him,” Lakers Guru observed.
Pains me to say this, but I really can’t believe what I’m seeing from Austin Reaves. It’s not the missed shots. It’s the acceptance and the fear. OKC defenders have broken him. Never thought I would admit this. He’s not playing hard. He’s fully submitting to OKC’s will for him.
— 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) May 6, 2026
“THIS S**T FLAT-OUT PATHETIC,” another user blasted Reaves.
“Reaves f**king sucks … we are losing because of him,” NBA content creator Legend Of Winning asserted.
Reaves fucking suck… we are losing because of him
— LegendOfWinning (@LegendOfWinning) May 6, 2026
“Please don’t ask me about Austin Reaves’ next contract. I’d rather discuss less controversial topics, like Donald Trump or AI data centers,” Lakers enthusiast Daman Rangoola quipped.
Please don’t ask me about Austin Reaves’ next contract. I’d rather discuss less controversial topics, like Donald Trump or AI data centers
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) May 6, 2026
“Thunder are just a horrific matchup for Austin Reaves,” OKC fan @Three_Cone chimed in.
Thunder are just a horrific matchup for Austin Reaves
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) May 6, 2026
Per ESPN Insights, Reaves’ 18.8% shooting mark in Game 1 was the lowest by any Laker in a playoff contest over the last 35 years (minimum 15 field-goal attempts). This comes after the star playmaker shot just 4-for-16 (25%) in the Lakers’ 99-93 Game 5 home loss to the Houston Rockets in Round 1.
Through three postseason outings since returning from a left oblique strain, Reaves is shooting a woeful 30.4% from the field and 11.8% from deep. If his offensive struggles persist against the Thunder, LA could be in store for a brief second-round series.
