LOS ANGELES — The recipe for success against the Lakers is hardly a secret at this point in the season.
Be physical.
If you have quickness and athleticism, test their perimeter defenders’ abilities to contain the ball and whether the back line will make multiple defensive rotations on time.
And push the pace – all of which the Detroit Pistons did frequently against the Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, handing the hosts a 128-106 loss for their fourth defeat in five games.
“The turnovers, the fast-break points, points in the paint,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “It just killed us.”
The Lakers (20-11) didn’t help themselves when it came to keeping the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons (25-8) out of the open court.
They committed 21 turnovers, which led directly to 30 Detroit points.
Luka Doncic, who led the Lakers with 30 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, was the main culprit when it came to the team’s lack of ball security. The Slovenian star guard finished with eight giveaways.
“Too many turnovers,” Doncic said. “I gotta stop losing the ball.”
Fellow star LeBron James (17 points, four assists and four rebounds) also struggled to take care of the ball, finishing with five turnovers on his 41st birthday.
And the Pistons, one of the league’s most prolific transition teams, didn’t waste the easy opportunities the Lakers provided them with.
“It’s going to be hard to defend pick-sixes,” James said. “We had too many pick-sixes where we turned the ball over. It’s hard to get back, you’re not getting back, teams are running us. You give up a lot of transition points.”
All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham led Detroit’s fast-paced play, finishing with 27 points on 12-of-19 shooting to go with 11 assists and five rebounds.
And even though Detroit ultimately shot a high percentage from behind the arc, making 11 of 24 3-point attempts (45.8%), the Pistons didn’t rely on perimeter shooting to build their advantage.
They relentlessly attacked the rim in transition. And even in the halfcourt, the Lakers struggled to keep the Pistons in front, yielding 74 points in the paint.
The Pistons shot 63% overall and 37 for 47 from inside the paint, making more shots in the area than the Lakers attempted (34).
“The intent and effort was there for the most part,” Redick said. “There was some technique stuff in pick and roll that we tried to adjust, and we didn’t get there. The turnovers and the fast-break points, they kill you. And a team shoots 63%, and most of that’s at the rim or in the paint, it can be deflating.”
The Lakers only trailed by five (70-65) at halftime despite committing 12 turnovers that resulted in 20 Detroit points.
And when they took care of the ball, they gave themselves a chance to stay in the game.
The Lakers only turned the ball over three times in the third quarter, helping them tie the score at 79-apiece before entering the fourth trailing 96-88.
But they opened the fourth by turning the ball over six times in the first six minutes, helping the Pistons open a 114-94 lead midway through the quarter after a 3-pointer from Javonte Green.
“We played good basketball for three quarters, physical basketball,” Doncic said. “We just kind of let go of the rope.”
Tuesday’s loss capped a disappointing December for the Lakers, who went 5-7 in the month, after being 15-4 through November.
All of their losses have been by double digits, with the Lakers’ average margin of defeat this season being 18.9 points.
The Lakers’ recent struggles, especially against teams with clear identities of physicality and toughness, brought into question what their identity is.
“Still trying to figure that out,” Redick said. “And I know that’s maybe a cop out, and probably is, but I do know that we have had a lot of stops and starts. We’ve really tried to play the right way every night and have the right intent. The flow of lineups and rotations and all that has been challenging for everybody, not just the coaches. It’s a challenge for the players. And building an identity is difficult.
“I think that’s hard to figure out with this team right now.”
Marcus Sasser scored a season-high 19 points and Isaiah Stewart had 15 for the Pistons, who snapped a two-game losing streak but lost third-leading scorer Tobias Harris to a left hip sprain in the first quarter.