Austin Reaves scored a season-high 43 points, including a banked-in 3-pointer in the third quarter, as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116 on Sunday. The Lakers extended their winning streak to five games while playing without Luka Doncic, who sat out with tightness in his lower back.
Reaves shot 14-of-27 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and made all 11 of his free throws. His banked shot in the third quarter was one of many that fell for him. “Honestly, when I stepped back and shot it, I was like, ‘This is some bulls— Luka would shoot,'” Reaves said.
He explained his reaction after the shot. “I didn’t try to bank it in,” Reaves said. “It went in, so it looks the same in the stat sheet.”
Lakers Hold Off Pistons Without Doncic
The Lakers (9-2) played without Doncic, the NBA’s No. 1 scorer at 40.1 points per game, against a Pistons team ranked No. 1 in defense. Detroit (6-3) fell to 6-3 despite a late push.
Los Angeles had five players score in double figures. Collin Sexton and Ziaire Williams each scored 17 points off the bench. Walker Kessler added 12 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Quentin Grimes scored 10 of his 12 points in the first quarter, when the Lakers built a 38-14 lead.
“Guys have to step up when someone’s averaging 40,” Sexton said. “You got to fill the shoes and be ready to impact winning. And I felt like we did that tonight, and AR picked those shoes up and he wore them.”
Detroit chipped away, outscoring Los Angeles by eight between the 2:30 mark of the third quarter and the 9:14 mark of the fourth. The Pistons drew within one, trailing 90-89, while Reaves sat on the bench.
Redick Defends Decision to Keep Reaves Out
Reaves had played 28 of 33 minutes when he exited, and Lakers coach JJ Redick explained why he did not return him sooner. “You got to allow the players to play through it,” Redick said. “And the same thing with the star players, you got to allow them to get their rest. And if you start just overreacting in-game and saying, ‘I got to get this guy back in, I got to get this guy back in,’ it’s just chaos. And we’re trying to create consistency for our players.”
Redick praised Reaves’ play. “I thought AR’s decision-making, his aggression, his ability to just consistently touch the paint and get downhill was fantastic tonight,” he said.
Redick also downplayed concerns about Doncic’s back, suggesting the starting backcourt will likely be back together when the Lakers continue their four-game road trip in Atlanta on Monday. This was the second game Doncic has missed this season, both due to back tightness and in a back-to-back situation. The Lakers are 2-0 without him.
“I mean, Luka game, Austin game: Lakers win,” Kessler said. “I don’t know if it really feels different. They’re both incredible players to play alongside, and they hit some really, really tough shots.”
Reaves credited luck for his output, including his banked 3 in the third quarter and a first-quarter shot he made while falling out of bounds along the baseline, releasing it over the corner of the backboard. “I was a lucky player tonight,” Reaves said.