Austin Reaves poured in 43 points Sunday night at Little Caesars Arena, carrying the Los Angeles Lakers to a 121-116 win over the Detroit Pistons with Luka Doncic out of the lineup.

Doncic missed the game with lower-back tightness, leaving Reaves to shoulder the offense — and he delivered one of the signature performances of his season. The Lakers had to hold off a late Detroit push, but Reaves made it clear afterward that the locker room never panicked when the game tightened, per Yahoo Sports.

Characteristically, Reaves downplayed his own night. The Associated Press noted he described it as a fortunate evening — a view apparently shared by no one else in the Lakers locker room. Afterward, he pointed to the bigger takeaway: this group has shown it can win meaningful games even when its superstar sits.

For a team managing Doncic's workload, that depth question matters. Sunday was about as emphatic an answer as the Lakers could have hoped for.