Lakers win fifth straight, 121-116 in Detroit, as Austin Reaves scores 43 without Luka Doncic

With Luka Doncic sitting out because of lower-back tightness, Austin Reaves scored a season-high 43 points Sunday night, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Detroit Pistons 121-116 at Little Caesars Arena. The win was the Lakers' fifth straight and moved them to 9-2. It also showed they can win without the league's leading scorer for the second time this season.

Reaves went 14 of 27 from the field, 4 of 6 from three and 11 of 11 at the line, ESPN reported. He did it against a Detroit team ESPN ranks first in the league on defense. Doncic came in averaging 40.1 points per game. Los Angeles is now 2-0 in the games he has missed, and both absences came with back tightness on the first night of a back-to-back. The Lakers scored the game's opening burst. They shot 16 of 23 in the first quarter and led 38-14 after it, according to Field Level Media, and Quentin Grimes scored 10 of his 12 points in that stretch.

Detroit closed a 26-point gap. While Reaves rested late in the third and early in the fourth, the Pistons got within 90-89. The CBS Sports box score shows the Lakers held on largely at the free-throw line, where they went 26 of 33 to Detroit's 13 of 20, and with 32 defensive rebounds. Collin Sexton and Ziaire Williams scored 17 apiece off the bench, and Walker Kessler added 12 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks. Daniss Jenkins led Detroit with 31. The Pistons were within 109-104 going into the final minute, and Reaves answered with a shot as the shot clock ran out, as the Associated Press reported via Yahoo Sports. "Luka game, Austin game: Lakers win," Kessler told ESPN.

JJ Redick downplayed concern that Doncic's back problem will linger, and ESPN reported that the starting backcourt will likely be back together in Atlanta. ESPN also posted game highlights.

What it means for Atlanta

The Lakers play the second game of the back-to-back Monday against the Hawks, the third stop on a four-game road trip. They are 4-1 away from home this season, and the only road loss was a 112-95 defeat at Golden State. During the winning streak they have averaged 126 points and allowed 115.8. Across all 11 games they average 121.9 points and allow 114.5, which adds up to a combined 236.4 points per game.

That combined figure nearly matches the posted total. On this site's board for the game, Novig lists the total at 236.5 at -106 on both sides, and DraftKings has the best over price at 235.5, -110. The Lakers are favored at -122 on the moneyline at Novig, with the Hawks at +120. On the spread, Los Angeles is favored by 2.5 at -102 at Novig. The best price on Atlanta +2.5 is -105 at DraftKings, compared with -111 at Novig. Across the 11 venues, the sportsbooks' built-in margin runs 3.8% to 5.8% on the moneyline, so the gaps between venues are small but worth noting.

The main question before tipoff is whether Doncic plays. If he returns, the Lakers would have their 40-point scorer back. If he doesn't, Sunday showed they can still win with Reaves carrying the offense. Season results and schedule are on the Lakers team page.