SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Austin Reaves hit a 3. He ripped the ball from Dario Saric’s hands. He scored on a breakaway layup. All in 20 seconds.

On a night without Luka Doncic, the Lakers needed Reaves to do it all Sunday, and the guard responded emphatically as he delivered a career-high 51 points with 11 rebounds and nine assists to carry the Lakers to a 127-120 win over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.

Reaves surpassed his previous career high of 45 points, set against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 8, 2025. It was also the last time LeBron James and Doncic both missed a game for the Lakers.

Doncic will be out for at least a week with a left finger sprain and a left lower leg contusion. He sustained the injuries in Friday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, although coach JJ Redick said Sunday he didn’t realize Doncic had suffered any leg injury until Saturday. Doncic was too busy dazzling with 49 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists despite the black tape on his left middle finger.

The 26-year-old star was off to a historic start with his 92 points — the most by any Lakers player through the first two games of a season. He was the fourth player in NBA history to begin a season with consecutive 40-point games.

In Doncic’s shadow, Reaves was also starring. He averaged 25.5 points, 10 assists and six rebounds over the first two games. Along with 25 points to help the Lakers avenge their playoff series loss to the Timberwolves last Friday, Reaves dished 11 assists to just one turnover, showing his complete offensive impact.

“Really for the star players — and they all understand this, they have to understand — the ball’s always going to find them,” Redick said. “They’re going to have the ball, they’re going to get their shots. So the willingness to get off the ball and make the right decision is huge. And Austin’s been great so far.”

Without Doncic, Reaves was the Lakers’ primary offensive cog. He subbed out for the first time with the Lakers leading 31-25 in the first quarter, but when he returned with 8:34 remaining in the second quarter, the Lakers were trailing by two.

A familiar face led the charge for the Kings. Former Laker Russell Westbrook, signed by Sacramento one week before the regular season started, scored 11 points in the second quarter, including three 3s. The 36-year-old chased down an offensive rebound and shot a pass to DeMar DeRozan for a corner 3-pointer that put the Kings ahead 40-38. Reaves was already at the scorers table to check in.

The guard then scored or assisted on 20 of the Lakers’ last 24 points in the first half as the Lakers salvaged a halftime tie.

Beginning a stretch of four games in six days, Reaves’ role may grow even larger after guard Gabe Vincent injured his left ankle in the third quarter. The 29-year-old immediately hobbled to the locker room after he went down with 8:19 remaining in the third and did not return.

The Lakers were already without James (sciatica), Maxi Kleber (abdominal strain) and Adou Thiero (knee) entering the game. Center Jaxson Hayes was ruled out for a second consecutive game with left knee soreness, but could return Monday when the Lakers finish a back-to-back against Portland at Crypto.com Arena. They then have road games at Minnesota and Memphis on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.

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