Austin Reaves scored a season-high 43 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 121-116 at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, extending their winning run to five games without star guard Luka Doncic.

Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer at 40.1 points per game, was ruled out before tip-off with lower back tightness, his second absence of the season. Reaves took over as the Lakers' main offensive organiser and delivered the best scoring night of his season, shooting 14 of 27 from the field, four of six from three-point range and a perfect 11 of 11 from the free-throw line.

Reaves had 19 points by half-time and 32 entering the fourth quarter, his first 30-point game of the season. The Lakers raced to a 38-14 lead after the opening quarter and led by as many as 26 points, but Detroit refused to go away and made the closing minutes tense.

The game also produced an unusual flashpoint in the second quarter, when Reaves walked up to a courtside fan and exchanged words during a stoppage in play, with the Lakers leading 60-45 and just over eight seconds left in the half. It was not clear what was said or what prompted the exchange.

Detroit's fightback was led from the bench by Daniss Jenkins, who scored 31 points including eight three-pointers, and Kevin Huerter, who added 24 points. Cade Cunningham finished with 14 points and eight assists for the Pistons, but his side could not complete the comeback after a slow start.

Detroit outscored Los Angeles 35-33 in the final quarter and kept the pressure on until the last seconds. Kevin Huerter's driving lay-up cut the gap to three points with two seconds remaining, but Reaves calmly made both free throws to seal the win. The Pistons finished 19 of 48 from three-point range, with Jenkins accounting for eight of those makes, yet their slow first quarter proved too costly to overcome.

Collin Sexton scored 17 points off the bench for Los Angeles, Ziaire Williams added 17, and Walker Kessler contributed 12 points and 16 rebounds. Quentin Grimes started in Doncic's place and scored 12 points.

The win lifts the Lakers to 9-2, while Detroit falls to 6-3. Los Angeles continues its four-game road trip with a visit to Atlanta on Monday, and the Lakers will hope Doncic's back problem is short-lived after he scored a season-high 53 points against Portland on Friday.