Lakers' LeBron James Trolls Luka Doncic After Austin Reaves' Career Night

Oct 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (left), guard Bronny James (center) and guard Luka Doncic watch from the bench in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James teased teammate Luka Doncic after he missed out on a 50-point game.

During Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Doncic scored 49 points in a masterclass of offense, getting it done in every possible way.

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In the end, he missed a free throw that cost him the 50-point milestone, but on Sunday, Austin Reaves delivered an incredible 51-point performance.

Following Reaves' performance, the 40-year-old took to social media to celebrate his teammate after missing the game while recovering from his sciatica nerve issue.

James tweeted, "Damn that’s crazy we almost had back to back 50 balls. Damnit Don! Sick back court!"

Damn that’s crazy we almost had back to back 50 balls. Damnit Don! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣! Sick back court! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 27, 2025

That wasn't the only post from James. He followed it up with another tweet celebrating the guard's achievement, which was accomplished without The King or Doncic on the court.

" 50 piece nugget!!!!! That boy AR TOOOO TOUGH!!," James said in another tweet.

50 piece 🐔 nugget!!!!! That boy AR TOOOO TOUGH!!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 27, 2025

In total, Reaves scored 51 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out nine assists, and registered two steals on 12-for-22 shooting from the field. He also made 21 of 22 free throws and shot 6-for-10 from three-point range.

The Lakers absoutely needed Reaves to have this kind of performance if they wanted to win Sunday's game against the Kings.

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So far, James has missed all the games, and Doncic has carried the offensive load on the court. He sustained a lower body and finger injury that will keep him out for at least a week.

Reaves, who is the third key member of the Lakers' core, was expected to have a higher volume of play without the other two stars available, and he stepped up to the challenge.

How is Austin Reaves Playing This Season?

So far this season, Reaves is averaging 34 points per game with 7.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists. His true shooting percentage is 73.6, and he is shooting 45 percent from 3-point range.

While it’s unlikely he can sustain this level of effectiveness, if he maintains a similar performance as James and Doncic get healthy, the Lakers should be okay in the meantime.

He will face a tough matchup on Monday when the Lakers play the Portland Trail Blazers, who have a couple of top perimeter defenders that will make Reaves' life more difficult than the Kings did.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.