Lakers Beat Pistons 121-116 on the Road: Reaves Scores 43 With Doncic Out
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on November 8 for their fifth straight win. With leading scorer Luka Doncic sidelined by low back tightness, Austin Reaves carried the offense, scoring 43 points on 14-of-27 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range and a perfect 11-of-11 at the free-throw line, with five rebounds and four assists.
Los Angeles opened a 24-point lead with a 38-14 first quarter. Detroit outscored the Lakers 102-83 over the final three quarters and cut the margin to a single possession in the fourth, but never erased the opening deficit. Lakers center Walker Kessler finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Quentin Grimes, who started in place of Doncic, scored 12 points before leaving for the locker room with 9:14 left in the fourth quarter and did not return.
For Detroit, Daniss Jenkins scored a team-high 31 points and Cade Cunningham added 14 points and eight assists.
Doncic was ruled out five hours before tipoff, his second absence of the season with back tightness. Two nights earlier he had scored a season-high 53 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. Head coach JJ Redick handed the playmaking load to Reaves, who answered with 43 points.
The Lakers improved to 9-2 and the Pistons fell to 6-3. Los Angeles, opening a four-game road trip, plays the second night of a back-to-back at Atlanta on Monday; Doncic's status for that game will not be known until Monday afternoon.
Source: Game statistics
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：湖人后卫 Austin Reaves（资料图，非本场画面）。Erik Drost 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0。/ Lakers guard Austin Reaves (file photo, not from this game). Photo by Erik Drost, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
