Austin Reaves has sideline chat with Pistons fan, punctuates 43-point game in Lakers win with dagger 3 and wave goodbye

Luka Dončić missed Sunday's Los Angeles Lakers game against the Detroit Pistons due to lower back tightness.

The Lakers prevailed without him thanks to a big game from Austin Reaves, who also shared some words with a courtside fan in Detroit.

Reaves paced the Lakers with 43 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists as the No. 1 option in Dončić's absence while shooting 14 of 27 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3. The effort anchored a 121-116 win that improved the Lakers' record to 9-2 and dropped the Pistons to 6-3.

Walker Kessler added 12 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks as the Lakers tied the Philadelphia 76ers for the best record in the NBA. Cade Cunningham posted 14 points, 8 assists and 4 turnovers while struggling from the field on a 6-of-15 shooting night in the losing effort.

During the game, Reaves shared words with a Pistons fan sitting courtside. It's not clear what was said, but they had a long talk during a break in action toward the end of the first half.

After he hit a late dagger 3, Reaves then waved goodbye to the fan.

Reaves played coy with reporters when asked about the interaction at his locker postgame.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Reaves said.

The night added to a strong start to the season from Reaves, who entered Sunday averaging 23.5 points, 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 38.6% from 3.

The Lakers announced Dončić's status hours before Sunday's scheduled 6 p.m. ET tip in Detroit. He entered Sunday listed as questionable. It's not clear if the injury will sideline Dončić for multiple games.

Sunday's game against the Pistons was the first of a back-to-back. The Lakers will visit the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

A six-time All-NBA selection, Dončić is off to a sensational start to the season. Through nine games, Dončić is the NBA's leading scorer with averages of 40.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 49.8% from the field and 41.9% on 13.8 3-point attempts per game.

The Lakers are off to their 9-2 start with Dončić, Reaves and Kessler anchoring the lineup in the first season since the departure of LeBron James. Dončić is playing like an MVP candidate as the primary driver behind the Lakers' strong start. The Lakers are certainly hoping that his back injury isn't one that will linger.