Austin Reaves scores 43 without Luka Doncic as the 9-2 Lakers hold off Detroit 121-116

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FINAL, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit: Los Angeles Lakers 121, Detroit Pistons 116.

Austin Reaves hit a 27-foot three with 45.6 seconds left Sunday night in Detroit, pushing a 109-104 lead to 112-104 and ending the Pistons' last real run. He finished with 43 points on 14-of-27 shooting, 4 of 6 from deep and 11 of 11 at the line, as the Lakers beat Detroit 121-116 without Luka Doncic.

The win moves Los Angeles to 9-2 and drops Detroit to 6-3. Reaves later called the shot "100% lucky." The box score gives him more credit than that for the 36 minutes and 41 seconds around it.

Twelve minutes built it, thirty-six nearly gave it back

The Lakers won the first quarter 38-14. Walker Kessler's layup at 11:21 of the second made it 40-14, and that 26-point margin was the high point of the night. From there Detroit won the second quarter 34-23, the third 33-27 and the fourth 35-33.

Add it up and the Pistons outscored Los Angeles 102-83 over the final three quarters. The Lakers never trailed and led for 97 percent of the game, per ESPN's team stats, and they still needed free throws in the last 26 seconds to close it.

A roster playing without its best player can bank a lead on early energy and a cold opponent. Holding it requires someone who can create a decent shot on every trip once the other side settles. Reaves was that player. Only 8 of his 43 came in that 38-point first quarter. He scored 11 in the second, 13 in the third and 11 in the fourth, which is the stretch where Detroit kept closing.

How the Lakers won the math

Detroit won the three-point line by a mile. The Pistons made 19 of 48 threes to the Lakers' 11 of 28, a 24-point edge from deep. Daniss Jenkins hit 8 of 15 threes off the bench for 31 points. Kevin Huerter added 24 points and five blocks, and Duncan Robinson's two late threes cut it to 102-99 and 107-102.

By our count, the five-point margin is a 16-point edge on twos (62-46) and a 13-point edge at the line (26-13), offset by a 24-point deficit from three (33-57). Reaves alone made 11 free throws, two fewer than the entire Pistons roster.

Kessler did the other half of it. He finished with 12 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks, with seven of those rebounds on the offensive glass. Detroit still grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, eight of them from Paul Reed, so the glass stayed a fight all night. Luka Doncic (back) and Detroit's Jalen Duren (hamstring) were out, per ESPN's injury report.

What it says about the Lakers' second option

The Lakers have been riding Doncic. Over his previous four games, all wins, he averaged 45 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, according to the AP. Reaves averaged 23.0 in that stretch. Sunday showed the version of Reaves that exists when the ball is his on every possession, and it came with one turnover in nearly 37 minutes.

Kessler put the team's view plainly after the game. "It doesn't matter if we get a Luka game or an A.R. game," he said. "We're still going to win."

That claim gets tested quickly, with the Lakers visiting Atlanta next. The useful takeaway from Detroit is narrower. The rotation that won the first quarter by 24 did not hold up for the next three, and the Lakers survived because Reaves kept getting to the line and Kessler kept finishing possessions. At 9-2, the Lakers now have proof that their second star can carry a 43-point night.

There is also the Detroit footnote. Reaves went undrafted in 2021 by choice, the AP noted, after the Pistons planned to take him 42nd and he turned them down to sign with the Lakers. Five years later he put 43 on them.

Sources

• ESPN box score, Lakers 121, Pistons 116, Nov. 8, 2026
• ESPN play-by-play, Lakers at Pistons
• AP recap via ESPN: Austin Reaves steps in for Luka Doncic with 43 points
• CBS Sports gametracker box score, Lakers 121, Pistons 116
• NBA.com Austin Reaves player page