Coming off three full days of rest, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to continue building momentum against the Detroit Pistons. They had won four of their last five games, and they’re looking to make the same late-season run they enjoyed last year.
Detroit has the NBA’s worst record, but it came in playing slightly better of late, having won four of its previous nine games, and in the early minutes of this game, it was competitive. However, the home team quickly flipped the switch and changed the complexion of the contest.
The Lakers made 10 shots in a row in the first quarter to take control, and they held a 71-48 lead at halftime. They were getting out and running with ease, and the ball was moving around fast, as they had 20 assists in the first half. Los Angeles lost some steam in the third period but still led 99-79 with 12 minutes left, and it glided into a no-sweat 125-111 victory to improve to 29-26 on the season.
Its offense, which has been producing at an elite level lately, was solid. The team shot 51.2% from the field and 40.0% from 3-point range, but it also got the job done defensively by holding the Pistons to just 41.7% overall shooting.
The Lakers will now fly up to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz before they will have seven consecutive days off for the All-Star break.
Anthony Davis: B-plus
Davis was a force defensively early by blocking three shots in the first quarter alone while leading the Lakers with eight points in that initial period. He grabbed 12 rebounds in the first half, and early in the third quarter, he single-handedly stopped a three-on-one fast break by rejecting Jaden Ivey near the rim when he was the only man back on defense.
The superstar big man wasn’t dominant offensively, as he scored 20 points, but his defense and rebounding allowed his team to open up as much as a 24-point lead. In 28 minutes, he snatched 14 rebounds and blocked six shots while also adding four assists.
Rui Hachimura: B-plus/A-minus
Hachimura got himself going early, and he feasted in the paint and at the rim. He shot 7-of-10 from the field to score 15 points, to go along with five rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes.
This was his fifth consecutive game in the starting lineup, and it looks like he’s fitting in pretty well.
Austin Reaves: C-plus/B-minus
Reaves shot just 3-of-9 from the field, but he got to the free throw line for seven attempts, all of which were successful, to finish with 15 points. He has been gradually increasing his assists numbers this season, and he dropped five of his six dimes in the first half of Tuesday’s contest. In 32 minutes, he also had seven rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot.
He showed that he can help the Lakers play well even when he’s not shooting well.
D'Angelo Russell: B
Russell was cooking early, scoring 15 first-half points, and he finished with 21 points on 8-of-18 overall and 4-of-9 from downtown. He did shoot a couple of questionable heat-check 3-pointers, but overall he played well offensively.
He had just three assists against three turnovers, but his efficient shooting and ample scoring output over the last several weeks have coincided with the Lakers winning seven of their last 10 games and 10 of their last 15.
LeBron James: B
James was seemingly on cruise control for much of this game, although he treated the crowd to a couple of fast-break dunks. He started to assert himself early in the fourth quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, and right after that, he pulled up from the Lakers’ midcourt logo for an ill-advised heat-check triple attempt that he missed.
Overall, he scored 25 points on 9-of-15 from the field while hitting half of his six 3-point attempts and dishing off eight assists. He didn’t exert that much energy, and he played just 31 minutes, which will help keep him fresh, especially for Wednesday’s game against the Jazz.
Taurean Prince: B
Off the bench, Prince scored eight points, hit a pair of 3-pointers and contributed five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 23 minutes. He did a good job of attacking closeouts and not settling for the outside shot, and it looks like he’s doing relatively well in his new reserve role.
Christian Wood: B-plus
Wood got 13 minutes of playing time, and he went 4-of-7, which included a 3-pointer, giving him 11 points to go along with four rebounds and one block.
Jaxson Hayes: B-plus
The Lakers need Hayes to give them rebounding, and that’s what he provided on Tuesday. He pulled down seven boards, and he also blocked a shot and added two points on free throws in 13 minutes.
Earlier in the season, he looked like perhaps he was a lost cause. But lately, he has been playing with greater energy and vigor, and he has therefore made L.A.’s big man rotation stronger.
Spencer Dinwiddie: B
Dinwiddie’s Lakers debut was solid. The first time he had the ball in a setup scenario, he found Wood flashing down the paint for a layup.
Late in the first quarter, he missed an ill-advised long 3-pointer right after a made Pistons basket with them back on defense, although it came in a two-for-one situation. He scored his first basket as a Laker with 2:47 left in the third quarter on a mid-range shot off penetration, and moments later, he hit a 3-pointer off the dribble while nearly hitting another one on L.A.’s next possession.
The veteran guard shot just 2-of-6 overall and 1-of-5 from deep, and he committed four turnovers. But he had seven assists, two rebounds and two steals in 31 minutes, and one should likely expect him to be more efficient with time.
He did a good job of attacking downhill off the dribble in L.A.’s halfcourt sets, and in doing so, he should add something to the team’s offensive arsenal while making life easier for James, Russell and Reaves.
Maxwell Lewis, Colin Castleton, Jalen Hood-Schifino: Incomplete
In scant garbage time, Hood-Schifino scored one basket off an assist from Dinwiddie, while Lewis and Castleton made no statistical contributions.
