DETROIT — Austin Reaves scored a season-high 43 points and had the final say in a heated exchange with a courtside fan as the Lakers beat the Pistons 121-116 on Sunday night, improving to 9-2 on the season.
Reaves and a fan seated courtside traded words through much of the game, including a face-to-face moment right before halftime that circulated widely on social media. The fan, wearing a white T-shirt, dark pants and gold chains, continued jawing with Reaves after the Lakers guard buried a dagger 3-pointer that pushed Los Angeles ahead 112-104 with 46 seconds left.
Reaves responded by waving and pointing at the fan, making clear the gesture was aimed directly at him.
Asked afterward about the back-and-forth with the crowd, Reaves kept it brief.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Reaves said.
Teammate Ziaire Williams said the 3-pointer was the highlight of the night.
“I mean, the AR dagger three — that one hit ’em right in the chest, boy,” Williams said. “You could just hear the crowd like, ‘Ahhhh.'”
Reaves carried the scoring load with Luka Dončić sidelined by back tightness. The win kept Los Angeles atop the Western Conference as the team heads to Atlanta for the second night of a back-to-back against the Hawks.
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