Pistons Find an Unlikely Spark and Dominate Lakers in Los Angeles
So here’s what happened in Los Angeles, and it’s one of those NBA stories where the turning point didn’t even happen on a basketball court. The Detroit Pistons walked into Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night and completely handled the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 128–106 in a game that felt decided well before the final buzzer.
Coming into this matchup, the Pistons were exhausted. They had been on the road for 10 straight days, coming off a blowout loss to the Clippers and riding a short losing streak. Instead of grinding through another intense practice, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff made a surprising call. The team was taken outside to UCLA’s intramural fields, where a soccer game was played. It wasn’t about tactics or drills. It was about decompressing, bonding, and resetting mentally.
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That decision ended up paying off in a big way.
From the opening minutes, Detroit looked loose, confident, and connected. The ball was moving, shots were falling, and the energy felt completely different. The Pistons shot a strong 45.8% from three-point range and finished the night with 30 assists, a clear sign that the offense was flowing. Cade Cunningham led the charge with 27 points on efficient shooting, while also handing out 11 assists. Jalen Duren chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds, but this game wasn’t just about the starters.
The real separation came from the bench. Detroit’s reserves absolutely overwhelmed the Lakers’ second unit, outscoring them 67–34. Marcus Sasser was the standout, pouring in a season-high 19 points while knocking down all five of his three-point attempts. After missing time earlier in the season due to a hip injury, his impact was immediate and noticeable on both ends of the floor. Isaiah Stewart added 15 points, and rookie Ron Holland II contributed 11 points and six rebounds, keeping the pressure on Los Angeles all night.
On the Lakers’ side, Luka Dončić did what he could, finishing with 30 points and 11 assists, but his night was far from clean. Eight turnovers and poor shooting from deep made it hard for the Lakers to keep pace. LeBron James, playing on his 41st birthday, finished with 17 points, but the Lakers as a team struggled badly from three-point range and never found a defensive answer for Detroit’s ball movement.
By the end of the night, the Pistons had improved to 25–8, closing their West Coast trip at a solid 3–2. What stood out most wasn’t just the win, but how it happened. Sometimes, stepping away from the game is exactly what a team needs to play it better.
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