Antonio Reeves Scores a Career-High on His Birthday

When Antonio Reeves balls like it’s his birthday, that means he’s getting buckets. The former Kentucky Wildcat received the gift of extended playing time on his birthday and delivered the best performance of his young professional basketball career.

Reeves came off the bench and New Orleans head coach Willie Green didn’t take him out again. The sharpshooter played a team-high 40 minutes and scored a career-high 34 points. No other Pelican scored more than 15 points on Wednesday.

He wasn’t just raining threes from downtown. Ten of his 14 made buckets were from inside the three-point line. Reeves added three assists and four rebounds in the 100-128 loss to the league-best Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite the loss, he was feeling blessed to have such a monumental moment on his birthday during his rookie season.

“It means a lot. It means really everything,” Reeves said after the game. “Coaches have faith in me, players have faith in me, and I just went out there and played, gave it all I got, 100%. It’s my birthday, I had to show out.”

Reeves got his shot after a rash of injuries and that’s putting it lightly. The Pelicans were without CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Jose Alvarado, Herb Jones, and Jordan Hawkins. There’s clearly a reason why they are 4-12.

This was just the second time in nine games that Reeves logged double-digit minutes. Even though it took some unusual circumstances to get into the rotation, Reeves was ready to make the most of this opportunity.

“Learning how to stay ready, it’s a process. I’m a rookie,” he said. “I’m definitely learning from guys like CJ (McCollum), Dejounte (Murray). They tell me all the time to stay ready, be focused, and in the gym every day.”

Playing time may dwindle when New Orleans gets healthy, but tonight Reeves proved that he’s a bucket. There is definitive proof and that will help him hang around the NBA for a long time.

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