Reaves' 51 Lifts Lakers Past Kings

Austin Reaves scored a career-high 51 points with nine assists and 11 rebounds, including four clutch free throws in the final 32 seconds, to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 127-120 road win over the Sacramento Kings. Reaves shot 12 of 22 with six 3-pointers, and the Lakers won despite being without LeBron James (sciatica). Sacramento received 32 points from Zach LaVine, 21 from DeMar DeRozan and 10 points with 14 rebounds from Domantas Sabonis, but were hampered by absences including Keegan Murray (thumb surgery) and Nique Clifford (hamstring). The game unfolded amid a broader early-season landscape of standout performances and injuries around the NBA, with Oklahoma City opening the season unbeaten and players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama posting eye-catching starts. Sacramento’s poor rebounding and Western Conference injury-driven rotation changes were notable factors shaping matchups after the pregame lineup uncertainty.