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DETROIT — It started off with choice words from a fan sitting courtside during the early parts of the Lakers’ win over the Pistons on Sunday night.
It continued with a verbal back and forth right before halftime, with Austin Reaves coming face-to-face with the heckler in a moment that went viral on social media.
And it ended with the Lakers star getting the last laugh, waving and pointing at the fan to make sure he knew the goodbye gesture was for him after hitting the dagger 3-pointer that secured the Lakers’ 121-116 victory to put them at 9-2 on the season.
“I mean, the AR dagger three — that one hit ‘em right in the chest, boy,” Ziaire Williams said of his favorite moment of the game. “You could just hear the crowd like, ‘Ahhhh.’”
And it also quieted one fan in the crowd in particular, at least momentarily, after he was apparently trash talking the Lakers star guard who scored a season-high 43 points while Luka Dončić was sidelined because of back tightness.
Reaves and the heckler, who was wearing a white t-shirt, dark pants and gold chains around his neck, exchanged more words in the game’s final moments after the dagger 3, with it being clear the Lakers were going to maintain their spot at the top of the Western Conference.
But the Lakers star guard chose not to give the fan anymore attention once the final buzzer ended.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Reaves responded when asked about the game-long interactions with the crowd.
Ultimately, Reaves and the Lakers came out on top Sunday night before they head to Atlanta for a matchup with the Hawks for the second game of their back-to-back set.
And while the fan may have had a lot to say, Reaves let his game do the talking.
