Lakers vs. Kings: Austin Reaves drops 51 in 127–120 road win; career night lifts shorthanded L.A.

Bassyonni

ago 3 hours

Austin Reaves

SACRAMENTO — Austin Reaves authored the game of his life Sunday, torching the Kings for a career-high 51 points to carry the Los Angeles Lakers past Sacramento 127–120 at Golden 1 Center. Playing without LeBron James and Luka Dončić, Reaves stacked scoring with playmaking and glasswork, finishing with 51 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists in 39 minutes—just shy of a triple-double.

How the game tilted: fourth-quarter swing

Sacramento nudged ahead midway through the fourth before Reaves detonated the closing stretch. L.A. ripped off a 20–5 run in under five minutes, keyed by three late Reaves 3s and a parade to the line. The Kings’ hot perimeter night couldn’t overcome the whistle math: the Lakers built a 41–12 free-throw advantage and cashed it. Reaves himself went 21-of-22 at the stripe (12-of-22 FGs, 6-of-10 3PT), sealing it with four makes in the final 32 seconds.

Box-score leaders (match player stats)

Lakers

Austin Reaves: 51 PTS, 11 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 6-10 3PT, 21-22 FT
Deandre Ayton: 22 PTS, 15 REB
Rui Hachimura: 18 PTS
Team notes: L.A. shot modestly from deep overall but dominated the stripe and boards enough to control clutch time.

Kings

Zach LaVine: 32 PTS
Domantas Sabonis: double-double (points/rebounds)
Dennis Schroder: double-double (points/assists)
Team notes: Sacramento won the 3-point battle by a wide margin but couldn’t keep L.A. off the line or the glass late.

Timeline (key fourth-quarter moments)

4:53 to play: Lakers ignite a 20–5 burst; Reaves hits back-to-back 3s. LAL 117–109.
1:30: LaVine trims it to three (122–119); Kings press.
0:32: Reaves sinks two FTs (now at 50+), essentially closing the door. Final: 127–120.

Why Reaves’ night matters

Reaves becomes the newest Laker to hit 50 and did it as the primary engine without the franchise’s two marquee stars active. Beyond the headline number, the profile—efficient threes, relentless rim pressure, elite free-throw volume—mirrors how L.A. wants to win when spacing gets tight. League outlets flagged the performance as one of the most efficient 50-pieces in early season play.

Context for both teams

Lakers: The victory capped a back-to-back early-season split and pushed L.A. to an even record heading into a busy week. The club then edged Minnesota on Wednesday (116–115), hinting the defense can travel while the offense toggles between star-driven and committee modes.
Kings: Sacramento’s offense looked like itself—movement, paint touches, and kick-out threes—but the late-game free-throw disparity and defensive rebounding were decisive. Cleaning up fouls and second chances will be priorities before the rematch later this calendar.

By the numbers

51/11/9: Reaves’ line; career highs in points and free throws made.
41–12: Lakers’ edge at the stripe (FTM); defining stat of the night.
6-of-10: Reaves from deep; L.A. otherwise struggled from 3, making his shot-making outsized.

What’s next

The Lakers have a compact slate with travel and two West opponents on deck; L.A.’s staff will monitor usage for Reaves after the heavy lift while hoping for returns from the top of the roster. Sacramento, meanwhile, gets practice time to tighten foul discipline and late-clock defense before the next Pacific test. (See league site for full rematch dates.)

In a classic early-season Pacific scrap, Austin Reaves turned a shorthanded night into a signature performance—51 points and all the winning plays down the stretch—pushing the Lakers past the Kings and planting an early marker for his biggest-role ceiling.