Lakers' Austin Reaves Scores 51 in Near Triple-Double, Wows LeBron, NBA Fans vs. Kings

Austin Reaves may be able to keep the Los Angeles Lakers afloat with LeBron James and Luka Dončić out.

The fifth-year player posted a career-high 51 points in a 127-120 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, adding 11 rebounds and nine assists.

James is currently sidelined until at least mid-November with sciatica on his right side, while Dončić will miss at least a week with a finger and leg injury.

If Reaves continues playing the way he has to start the season, the two stars absences might not be too detrimental in the early going.

NBA fans, including James, were more than pleased with Reaves' efforts.

Obviously, the Lakers can't count on Reaves to drop 50-plus points every night, but he's once again shown that he's more than capable of being the No. 1 option for Los Angeles when James and Dončić are sidelined.

It's worth noting that Reaves has a player option this offseason. Outings like Sunday's are only raising his asking price should he enter free agency.