Austin Reaves scored a season-high 43 points on Sunday to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-116 victory against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena, rds.ca reported.
Lakers extend winning streak
The Lakers played without star guard Luka Doncic, who missed his second game due to tightness in his lower back. Despite his absence, Los Angeles extended its winning streak to five games and improved its record to 9-2 this season.
“Guys have to step up when someone’s averaging 40,” Lakers guard Collin Sexton said, according to ESPN. “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.”
Reaves anchors offensive effort
Reaves shot 14-of-27 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and converted all 11 of his free-throw attempts. He scored eight points in the first quarter alone, helping the Lakers build an early 38-14 lead after 12 minutes of play, rds.ca reported.
After the Pistons mounted a comeback while Reaves rested on the bench, cutting the deficit to 90-89, Reaves returned to score 11 of his points in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Detroit outscored Los Angeles by eight points during the stretch from the 2:30 mark of the third quarter until the 9:14 mark of the fourth while Reaves rested, after he had already played 28 of 33 minutes before exiting.
Final: Lakers 121, Pistons 116 Huge win for LA in Detroit without Luka Doncic. They improve to 9-2 and have won five straight. Austin Reaves scored a season-high 43 points, shredding the league’s best defense with jumpers and floaters. LA set the tone early with a 26-point lead,…
“You got to allow the players to play through it,” Lakers coach JJ Redick explained, addressing why he did not sub Reaves back into the game quicker. And we’re trying to create consistency for our players.”
“Honestly, when I stepped back and shot it, I like, ‘This is some bulls— Luka would shoot,'” Reaves said of a banked-in 3-pointer he made in the third quarter, ESPN reported.
Five Los Angeles players score double digits as Detroit falls
Los Angeles received double-digit scoring from five players. Alongside Reaves, Ziaire Williams and Collin Sexton each contributed 17 points off the bench, while Walker Kessler recorded 12 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks. Quentin Grimes also added 12 points, scoring 10 of them in the first quarter.
For Detroit, which fell to a 6-3 record, Daniss Jenkins led the scoring with 31 points, and Kevin Huerter added 24 points. Guard Cade Cunningham was limited to 14 points in the contest.
Around the league
In other NBA action on Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from their second defeat of their previous match by defeating the Chicago Bulls 127-121, handing Chicago its seventh loss as Philadelphia secured its ninth victory in 11 outings. Jaylen Brown led the 76ers with 29 points, Tyrese Maxey contributed 27 points, LeBron James added 22 points for his best performance with Philadelphia, and Joel Embiid posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Utah Jazz dropped their eighth straight game in a 115-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Darryn Peterson led Utah with 26 points, while Ayo Dosunmu paced Minnesota with 26 points alongside LaMelo Ball’s 24 points and Rudy Gobert’s double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds. The Brooklyn Nets fell 130-93 to the Dallas Mavericks in a lopsided affair featuring 19 points and nine rebounds from Michael Porter Jr. for Brooklyn, while Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 25 points, five rebounds, and 12 assists, supported by Kyrie Irving’s 21 points and Daniel Gafford’s 18 points.
The Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 117-97 behind 27 points from Paul George and 21 points with six assists from Jayson Tatum, overshadowing Kyle Kuzma’s 27-point effort for Milwaukee and Brayden Burries’ 13 points and nine rebounds. The Los Angeles Clippers outlasted the New Orleans Pelicans 139-123 in a high-scoring matchup where Trey Murphy III put up 26 points and seven rebounds, Zion Williamson scored 25 points, and Jeremiah Fears added 25 points for New Orleans, while Darius Garland ran the Clippers’ offense with 24 points and 10 assists among seven double-digit scorers that included Brook Lopez with 20 points.
Finally, the Miami Heat claimed their fourth win of the season by beating the Sacramento Kings 114-108, with Giannis Antetokounmpo posting 29 points and 14 rebounds and Klay Thompson contributing 23 points for Miami, while Sacramento absorbed its ninth loss in 10 games.
Next scheduled game
The Lakers continue their four-game road trip on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks, while the Pistons prepare for their next matchup.
RECAP: Austin Reaves led the #Lakers to a wire-to-wire victory over the Pistons without Luka Doncic.https://t.co/QaNPYfbatR
Earlier coverage: Austin Reaves Scores 43 to Lead Lakers Past Pistons Without Doncic
More on Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves is The Association Player of the Game! 👏@LaurenMRosen and @MoDakhil_NBA discuss Austin Reaves 43-point outing in Detroit in the Lakers victory! pic.twitter.com/PSojxApHgI
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