DETROIT (AP) — Austin Reaves scored 43 points as the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Detroit Pistons 121-116 at Little Caesars Arena without Luka Doncic on Sunday.
Doncic (lower-back tightness), who is averaging 45 points, nine rebounds and eight assists over his last four games, was ruled out earlier on Sunday.
Walker Kessler added 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who had lost four straight to Detroit.
Detroit, which trailed 40-14 early in
the second quarter, could have tied the game at 90 with 9:14 left, but Cade Cunningham missed the second of two free throws.
Los Angeles got the lead back to six points with 3:32 left, and a Walker Kessler three-point play made it 107-99 with 2:15 to go.
Reaves hit an off-balance 3-pointer with 46 seconds left, then clinched the game from the line.
Daniss Jenkins scored a career-high 31 points in 32 minutes off the bench for Detroit, which has lost two in a row after a 6-1 start. Kevin Huerter added 24 points, also off the bench.
The Lakers broke the game open early, outscoring the Pistons by 24 points in the first quarter. The Lakers made 16 of 23 shots (69.6%), including five of eight 3-pointers (62.5%).
The Pistons gave themselves a chance with a strong second quarter, and Jenkins hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to pull them within 61-48.
Detroit continued to shoot well in the third, but Reaves scored 13 points to keep them at bay for most of the quarter.
The Pistons were still down 14 late in the third quarter, but finished a 13-2 run with four straight layups to cut the deficit to 84-81.
Detroit trailed by seven going into the fourth despite none of their starters scoring in double figures. Huerter and Jenkins alone outscored the starting lineup 44-30.
Lakers: At Atlanta on Monday night.
Pistons: Host Washington on Monday night.
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