Stephen A. Smith rips Kings after Austin Reaves drops 51 points: "Bust your livin' a–, really?"

When reports surfaced that Luka Doncic had joined LeBron James on the injury list, the Sacramento Kings were expected to humble the Los Angeles Lakers in their most recent home game. However, Austin Reaves had other plans.

In a stunning performance, “Hillbilly Kobe” dropped a career-high 51-point double-double to lead the Purple and Gold to a gritty 127-120 victory. The shocking result visibly left Stephen A. Smith frustrated as he questioned how a fully healthy, star-studded Kings team was unable to contain one player who doesn’t even get to be the No. 1 option for his team on most nights.

Smith calls out the Kings’ defensive efforts

While DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined for 53 points and Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook combined for 36 points, it was Reaves whose offensive prowess grabbed all the headlines.

The Kings’ defensive vulnerabilities were alarming, as they sent AR to the free-throw line 22 times, four more than the entire Kings team shot, and the Lakers for a combined 46 attempts. Despite making constant scoring surges, they simply weren’t able to get stops on the defensive end. Moreover, with Keon Ellis fouling out, Sacramento clearly ran out of options on how to contain the Lakers’ small-ball lineup.

To make matters worse, DeAndre Ayton, who is yet to showcase his true dominance in the 2025-26 season, dropped 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, further underlining Sacramento’s struggles to control the paint or restrict second-chance possessions.

For Stephen A. Smith, watching a team filled with experienced veterans crumble defensively against an undermanned opponent was highly concerning. Thus, on the most recent episode of “First Take,” he openly called out the Kings to a defensive liability, arguing that no team with legitimate championship aspirations would allow a role player (on most nights) to dismantle them single-handedly.

“What an indictment. No LeBron, no Luka and a team with DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine… and you get outshined by Austin Reaves? I mean, come on, fellas. I’m not blaming just those two but the collective defensive effort,” Smith said. “I mean, damn, Austin Reaves went out there and bust your livin’ a–, really?”

The Kings need order in their roster

While scorers like DeRozan, LaVine and Malik Monk are expected to score points in double-digits throughout each game of the 2025-26 season, Sacramento’s biggest challenge lies on the other end of the floor.

Even when they were building their roster in the offseason, the biggest question was about who would emerge as their defensive anchor and bring order to a team that too often relies on outscoring opponents rather than containing them. So, unless the Kings address this glaring weakness, their offensive brilliance will continue to be overshadowed by their inability to get stops when it matters most.

That being said, it is still very early in the 2025-26 season, but the warning signs are unmistakable. The Kings must redefine roles within their roster to ensure that every player understands their specific responsibilities, particularly on defense, because other teams are healthier and have better depth than the Lakers awaiting them.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Stephen A. Smith rips Kings after Austin Reaves drops 51 points: “Bust your livin’ a–, really?”

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