The NBA’s bottom-ranked Detroit Pistons were defeated 125-111 on Tuesday night by the Los Angeles Lakers, who have five wins in a row thanks to the contributions of LeBron James (25 points and eight assists) and Anthony Davis (20 points and 14 rebounds).
The Lakers, who have won 10 of 15 games overall and are now three games over.500 (29–26) for the first time since a week before Christmas, are led by D’Angelo Russell, who scored 21 points and drained four 3-pointers. Another impressive offensive performance by the Lakers’ new starting lineup saw Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves chip in 15 points apiece as they combined for 96 points.
Before this match, the Lakers enjoyed an unusual three-day break between games. In their last home game before the All-Star break, in which James will play for the 20th time, they jumped out to an early 24-point advantage.
Following his signing last Saturday, the Lakers signed seasoned Los Angeles native Spencer Dinwiddie, who finished with six points and seven assists in his debut. Dinwiddie, a Taft High School alum from the suburban Woodland Hills, started 48 games for Brooklyn this season. Off the bench, he will be a crucial playmaker and scorer for the Lakers.
For the third time this season, the Pistons had won two of their previous three games, led by Ausar Thompson’s 19 points and James Wiseman’s 18 points and nine rebounds. Beverly Hills resident and team owner Tom Gores observed from the courtside.
In the least spectacular game of a fantastic road trip for Detroit, which won its first two games against Sacramento and Portland before narrowly falling to the Clippers in this venue last weekend, Cade Cunningham finished with 12 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds.
With 4:50 remaining, Detroit cut the margin to 12 points, but they could not get any closer. In order to recuperate his legs for the back-to-back series that concluded in Utah, Davis sat out the whole fourth quarter.
Quentin Grimes, the guard for the New Pistons, was sidelined due to an injured right knee. Since joining his new squad via the multiplayer trade with New York, he has not yet made his team debut.
Due to a sprained left ankle, Isaiah Stewart missed his seventh straight game for Detroit. He ought to make a quick comeback following the All-Star break.
Due to an injured right ankle, Lakers guard Max Christie missed his second consecutive game.
