Austin Reaves scored a season-high 43 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116 on Sunday, extending their winning streak to five without Luka Doncic, who sat out with tightness in his lower back.
Reaves capped his performance with a 3-pointer in the third quarter that he launched from a step-back position. The shot ricocheted off the glass and in.
“Honestly, when I stepped back and shot it, I was like, ‘This is some bulls— Luka would shoot,'” Reaves said.
That shot was one of many that fell for him. Reaves went 14-of-27 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 11-of-11 from the foul line. He also shrugged in disbelief after the banked shot, explaining his reaction.
“I didn’t try to bank it in,” Reaves said. “It went in, so it looks the same in the stat sheet.”
Lakers Win Without Their Top Scorer
The Lakers (9-2) played without Doncic, the NBA’s No. 1 scorer at 40.1 points per game, and still looked like the confident group they have been all season. They faced a Pistons team (6-3) that ranks No. 1 in defense.
“Guys have to step up when someone’s averaging 40,” said Collin Sexton, who scored 17 points off the bench. “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.”
This was the second game Doncic has missed this season. The first was also due to back tightness, and it came in a back-to-back. The Lakers are now 2-0 without him. They continue their four-game road trip in Atlanta on Monday.
Lakers coach JJ 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,” Redick said.
Five Lakers scored in double figures. Along with Reaves and Sexton, Ziaire Williams added 17 points off the bench, Walker Kessler posted 12 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Quentin Grimes chipped in 12 points. Grimes scored 10 of those in the first quarter, when the Lakers built a 38-14 lead.
Detroit Cuts the Lead
The Pistons chipped away at the lead. They outscored the Lakers by eight from the 2:30 mark of the third quarter until the 9:14 mark of the fourth, while Reaves sat on the bench, and drew within one at 90-89.
Redick explained why he did not send Reaves back in sooner. Reaves had already played 28 of 33 minutes when he exited.
“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 downplayed any concern about Doncic’s back becoming a lingering injury. The Lakers’ starting backcourt will likely be back together in Atlanta.
“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 did not take credit for his remarkable shooting. Asked about his banked-in 3-pointer in the third quarter and another make in the first quarter, when he shot the ball over the corner of the backboard while falling out of bounds along the baseline, he stayed humble.
“I was a lucky player tonight,” Reaves said.