Intent on avoiding a season-high losing streak, the Detroit Pistons will visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday as they close out a five-game road trip.
The Pistons have lost back-to-back games for only the second time this season after falling 112-99 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
While Cade Cunningham was held scoreless in the first half due in part to early foul trouble, the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard erupted for a career-high 55 points in the game.
Detroit prides itself on defense, ranking fourth in the NBA with 112.9 points allowed per game, but Leonard exposed the system designed by coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his staff.
“We just have a (defensive) system and no matter what your position is, you have to carry out the system,” Bickerstaff said. “For us, it’s not about (position) numbers, it’s about positional responsibilities. Our perimeters have a job and they understand their job. Our big guys have a job, they understand their job. And then it all just kind of fits around there.”
Cunningham and Ausar Thompson are versatile defenders who can guard all positions, but the usual plan was disrupted when Cunningham committed three first-quarter fouls and played only three second-quarter minutes.
Cunningham didn’t score in the first half on four shots but came back to score 27 points in the second half. Jalen Duren contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds for Detroit, which was down by double digits just four minutes into the game.
The Pistons are now 2-2 on their trip to close out the calendar year.
The Lakers ended their longest losing streak of the season at three games with a 125-101 home victory over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Luka Doncic scored 34 points and dished out seven assists.
LeBron James scored 24 points for the Lakers, who were without Austin Reaves for a fourth time in the past six games. Reaves is just starting a four-plus-week absence prompted by a calf injury.
A 119-96 loss to the visiting Houston Rockets on Christmas Day forced the Lakers to look inward. They held a team meeting on Saturday and went through a shootaround Sunday morning.
“This is the first game we’ve had all year that we won all four quarters, so I think that just says a lot about the approach and the consistent mentality that we played with,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of the Sunday victory. “Just consistent basketball for 48 minutes.”
The Lakers shot 52.8% from the floor after hitting a combined 45.5% over the previous three games. Los Angeles also forced 19 turnovers and scored 23 points off those miscues.
While Marcus Smart started for Reaves on Sunday, Nick Smith Jr. made a case for more playing time, and even an extended run as a starter, with a 21-point effort off the bench. He matched Doncic’s total of five made 3-pointers.
“I don’t want to create the narrative of me and Luka,” James said. “It’s five guys on the floor and seven guys that come off the bench. It needs to be all of us, (but) it’s important that we set the tone.”
