Austin Reaves scores 43 as Lakers beat Pistons 121-116
Reaves made all 11 free throws and tied Wilt Chamberlain for 12th on the Lakers regular-season 40-point games list.
Austin Reaves scored 43 points as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Detroit Pistons 121-116 in Detroit. Reaves shot 14 of 27 and made all 11 free throws without Luka Doncic, who sat out with a back injury.
Key takeaways
- Austin Reaves scored 43 points and made all 11 free throws.
- The Lakers won 121-116 at Detroit Pistons.
- Luka Doncic missed the game with a back injury.
- Reaves tied Wilt Chamberlain for 12th on the Lakers regular-season 40-point games list.
- The Lakers improved to 9-2.
Austin Reaves scored 43 points and made all 11 free throws as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Detroit Pistons 121-116 in Detroit on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 14 of 27 in 37 minutes without Luka Doncic, who sat out with a back injury. The win put the Lakers at 9-2 and started a road trip.
Historic milestone
Reaves recorded his fifth career 40-point game, matching Wilt Chamberlain for 12th place on the Lakers regular-season list. Magic Johnson holds sixth place with six such games. Reaves is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers and the Oklahoma Sooners before joining the Lakers as an undrafted free agent.
Game flow
The Lakers started fast. Matisse Thybulle's steal led to an early Reaves layup, Quentin Grimes hit two threes in an 8-0 run, and Los Angeles led 38-14 after one quarter.
Daniss Jenkins found the range, going 6 of 7 from three by halftime with 22 points, as a 26-point lead shrank to 12. Reaves answered after the break, scoring 13 in the third quarter and pushing the lead to 17.
Collin Sexton steadied the Lakers after an 11-0 Detroit run. Still, the Pistons tied the game in the fourth on more Jenkins threes, and their best run came with Reaves on the bench. Jenkins finished with 28 points on 8-of-13 shooting from three.
Closing minutes
The ending was messy. Reaves hit a three inside the final minute. Sexton then fouled Jenkins on a three-point try, and Jenkins made all three free throws to cut it to four with 26 seconds left.
Sexton made two at the other end, Detroit fouled Reaves, and he sealed it with two more free throws. The last two free throws capped the fifth 40-point game of a career now in its sixth season.
Los Angeles needed more than one scorer to survive those Detroit runs. Sexton gave the bench 17 points despite the late foul, and Ziaire Williams matched him with 17, including a three right after Detroit cut the lead to one.
Season context
The 2026-27 Los Angeles Lakers season is the ongoing 80th season of the franchise, its 79th season in the National Basketball Association, its 67th season in Los Angeles, and its 28th season playing home games at Crypto.com Arena.
What happens next
The Lakers will host the Portland Trail Blazers on November 6, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
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