Austin Reaves Scores 43 as Lakers Beat Pistons

Austin Reaves called it a terrible shot. With the Lakers up 109-104 in the final minute and the shot clock about to expire, he flipped up a one-legged, off-balance 3-pointer that dropped through and ended Detroit’s comeback. Reaves scored a season-high 43 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116 at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday without Luka Doncic, the Associated Press reported.

Los Angeles is 9-2 with five straight wins and sits first in the Western Conference. Detroit falls to 6-3 and has lost two in a row after a 6-1 start. Doncic, who leads the league at 40.1 points per game, sat with low back tightness.

Reaves Did It Luka’s Way

Reaves went 14 of 27 from the floor, 4 of 6 from 3 and a perfect 11 of 11 at the line, and added five rebounds and four assists with only one turnover in almost 37 minutes. He did all that against one of the best defenses in the league. He even waved goodbye to a pair of courtside fans after the dagger.

There was some history in it, too. The Pistons planned to draft Reaves 42nd overall in 2021, but he chose to go undrafted and sign with the Lakers instead. He told reporters afterward that he was a lucky basketball player tonight. Nobody else in the Lakers locker room agreed.

Detroit’s Bench Nearly Stole It

The Lakers came out on fire, making 16 of 23 shots in the first quarter and leading 40-14 early in the second. Then Detroit’s bench took over. Daniss Jenkins scored a career-high 31 points in 32 minutes, and Kevin Huerter added 24. Those two alone outscored the Detroit starting lineup 44-30 through three quarters, and a 13-2 run cut it to 84-81 late in the third.

Cade Cunningham had 14 points and eight assists, but he missed the second of two free throws that would have tied it at 90 with 9:14 left. Walker Kessler steadied the Lakers with 12 points and 16 rebounds, and his three-point play made it 107-99 with 2:15 to go.

Smacktok pick lean: The Lakers are at Atlanta on Monday, the second night of a back-to-back. If Doncic sits again, lean higher on Austin Reaves points, since he took over the offense here and lived at the line. If Doncic plays, back off the Reaves scoring lean and look at Walker Kessler rebounds instead, after his 16 boards in Detroit.

Doncic has been the story all season. On Sunday night, Reaves made sure the Lakers did not miss a beat.