With Doncic Out, Austin Reaves Makes Statement as Lakers Beat Pistons: 3 Takeaways

Reaves leads without Doncic

With Doncic unavailable, the Lakers entered the Detroit matchup facing expectations of a difficult night against a strong defensive team. Instead, Los Angeles rallied around Reaves and came away with a 121-116 victory.

Reaves finished with 43 points, five rebounds and four assists. The 27-year-old took on a leading role in Doncic’s absence, helping secure the Lakers’ ninth win of the season.

Bench adds support

Ziaire Williams and Collin Sexton provided a lift off the bench, scoring 17 points apiece. Together, they made four of eight attempts from beyond the arc. Their contributions helped the Lakers overcome the absence of Doncic, who averages 40.1 points per game, according to the article.

Kessler impacts both ends

Walker Kessler recorded 16 rebounds, 12 points, four assists and three blocks against Detroit. His performance added to his reputation as a consistent contributor for coach JJ Redick’s team. The article reports that Kessler is averaging 14.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 71.6% from the field, the league’s best mark in that category.

Atlanta next on schedule

The Lakers are scheduled to visit the Atlanta Hawks on Monday for the second game of a back-to-back. Atlanta had won four straight games entering that matchup. Los Angeles will hope Doncic can return as the team pursues a sixth consecutive win and seeks to hold the top seed in the Western Conference.