Austin Reaves scored 43 points without Luka Doncic, but the Los Angeles Lakers also needed major contributions from their supporting cast to beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116 on Sunday.
Reaves shot 14-of-27 from the field, made four of six three-pointers and converted all 11 free throws. He added five rebounds and four assists, committed just one turnover and finished with a game-best plus-21.
Los Angeles also received 17 points apiece from Ziaire Williams and Collin Sexton. Quentin Grimes added 12 points, while Jarred Vanderbilt grabbed 10 rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.
Williams was particularly important late, making four of his eight three-point attempts. Sandro Mamukelashvili contributed seven points, giving the Lakers five players with at least 12 points.
Detroit’s reserves, however, produced even more offense. Daniss Jenkins scored a career-high 31 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including eight three-pointers, while Kevin Huerter added 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
Huerter also recorded five rebounds, five assists, two steals and five blocks in 35 minutes. The pair combined for 55 points, helping Detroit’s bench outscore Los Angeles’ reserves 67-45.
Cade Cunningham finished with 14 points and eight assists but shot 6-of-15 from the field. Duncan Robinson added 12 points, while Ausar Thompson collected 11 rebounds and scored seven.
The Pistons’ comeback followed a disastrous opening quarter. Los Angeles scored 38 points and limited Detroit to 14, then extended the advantage to 26 early in the second period.
Detroit responded by outscoring the Lakers 34-23 in the second quarter and 33-27 in the third. The Pistons also made 19 three-pointers compared with 11 for Los Angeles, but their 45% overall shooting was not enough to complete the comeback.
Reaves had averaged 23.0 points during Doncic’s previous four games, all Lakers victories. Doncic had averaged 45 points, nine rebounds and eight assists during that stretch before missing Sunday’s game.
The Lakers improved to 9-2 with their fifth consecutive win, while Detroit fell to 6-3 after suffering back-to-back losses.
