Austin Reaves picked up all of the slack Sunday night.

Reaves, with both LeBron James and Luka Dončić out due to injuries, carried the Los Angeles Lakers at the Golden 1 Center. Reaves scored a career-high 51 points to lift the Lakers to a narrow 127-120 win over the Sacramento Kings.

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Reaves was just shy of a triple-double in his career night. He had 11 rebounds and nine assists to go with his 51 points. He shot 12-of-22 from the field and had six 3-pointers. Naturally, that drew plenty of attention.

“He was fantastic, did a little bit of everything for us tonight all over the place … These moments are incredible for him,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said postgame. “I think his teammates see that, I know as a coaching staff, we see that. He just lives in the moment. He’s ready for every single moment that comes, and it’s a pleasure to be around him every day.”

Reaves has been on a steady incline throughout his NBA career, which has been remarkable for the undrafted player out of Oklahoma. He averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game last season, all of which were career-highs. The 27-year-old is in the third year of a four-year, $53.8 million deal with the team this fall, and is very likely set for a massive payday when he hits free agency.

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While they are just three games into the 2025-26 season, Reaves has picked up right where he left off. He had 26 points in the team’s season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors, and then he had 25 three nights later against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But on Sunday night, Reaves had plenty of room to work with. James is still out while dealing with sciatica, and is hoping to make his season debut sometime mid-November. Dončić will miss at least a week with a left finger sprain and lower left leg contusion.

With the Lakers’ stars out, Sunday was a great opportunity for the Kings to take advantage and grab an early win. Zach LaVine led the way with 32 points, and DeMar DeRozan finished with 21 points and six rebounds. But Reaves put up 15 points in the first quarter to get the Lakers out in front, and they then held on down the stretch to escape with the seven-point win.

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Deandre Ayton added 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, and Rui Hachimura finished with 18 points. L.A. shot just 8-of-25 from behind the arc as a group. Jake LaRavia is the only other Laker who connected from 3-point range.

The Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, when Reaves will likely have to try and lead the way with Dončić and James still out.

Until the team is back at full strength, Reaves has proven he’s capable of holding things down in the meantime.