The Phoenix Suns recorded perhaps their most impressive victory of the season on Monday, when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in their place. A victory that came at a cost, as Devin Booker retired early with a groin injury.
Austin Reaves couldn’t hide his frustration over the loss to Suns.
One player who was not happy with his side’s performance, despite it being only their fifth defeat of the season so far, was Austin Reaves. The 27-year-old finished with 16 points, behind only Luka Doncic and his monster 38, but he was beaten by the Suns’ Collin Gillespie.
There’s a reason why Gillespie was our first-quarter MVP, and he stepped up in a huge way next to Dillon Brooks when Booker went down. The highlight was 8-for-14 from the line and a skid in two games. Reaves wasn’t happy about being on the receiving end of the beating, and he said as much to the media after the game.
From Monday:
“We played like crap.” Austin Reaves after loss to Suns.
“It’s one of those games. We played poorly, they played harder than us. That can’t happen.”
On 22 turnovers (Luka Doncic 9, Reaves 5, LeBron James 3) resulting in 32 Suns points: “I was literally dribbling the ball… pic.twitter.com/Tc1Ivj0xb1
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) December 2, 2025
“We played like shit… it’s one of those games. We played bad, they played harder than us. That can’t happen.” From Reaves and the Lakers’ perspective, these are the worst types of games to lose because it comes down to a lack of effort and nothing else.
We have no problem saying it: Doncic was majestic for much of the game. With Booker limited to just ten minutes and the Slovenian superstar taking all kinds of hard shots, and just as importantly playing at the pace he wanted, the Lakers wasted a brilliant performance from him.
There’s a reason why this team has gotten some national media attention recently, and that’s because of the way they play defense. They have a next man up mentality, while center Mark Williams is a difference maker.
Former Suns first overall pick Deandre Ayton has been great for the Lakers this season and he had his moments this season, but Williams almost got the better of him on this occasion. Then there was Ryan Dunn, who from the bench reminded head coach Jordan Ott what he can do.
Yes, the Lakers have Doncic, Reaves and a guy named LeBron James (who is suddenly a third option), but they lack the never-say-die attitude that Phoenix quickly instilled in their team. It’s the reason they lost this game to what on paper is an inferior opponent, only the Suns prove the game isn’t played on paper.
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