Before returning to Los Angeles, after spending two weeks on the road, the Lakers first had to conclude their road trip of six games in the East on a high note. Mission accomplished, since they disposed of the Pistons (124-117), in the wake of the excellent performances of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
On the one hand, the “King” compiled 35 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. On the other, “AD” finished with 34 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists on the clock. Typically the kind of stat lines needed to: Respond to the Bojan Bogdanovic (38 points), return to success after three straight losses, and turn to a 3-3 record at the end of this series of away games.
With this victory, the “Purple & Gold” go back at the same time to 12th place in the West, while Detroit lost for the third time in a row and still occupies the last place in the Eastern Conference.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— LeBron James and Anthony Davis out of control. The adversity was perhaps not the toughest possible, hence the fact that the defense was not particularly there, but the “King” and “AD” were still particularly strong. sharp and dominating against the Pistons. In turn, and sometimes even with each other, they took malicious pleasure in sanctioning the opposing defensive largesse, wasting very little on shots and with the ball (26/42 on shots, 15/ 17 in throws and 2 balls lost in total). A good omen before challenging the (probable) best NBA duo, Tuesday evening, during the “classic” of the league…
— This time, LeBron James and Jalen Duren didn’t miss each other. Beyond his reunion with Isaiah Stewart, with whom he had hung up last season (remember…), the “King” especially took advantage of this meeting to challenge the young pivot of the Pistons (he was injured mid- November, for Detroit’s visit to Los Angeles). And this is none other than the first player to face LeBron while being born… AFTER the debut in the league of the Lakers winger! On October 29, 2003, Duren was indeed not of this world when James played his first NBA game, because he waited until November 18, 2003 to be born.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Bojan Bogdanovic. Author of his new points record for the season, the Croatian especially stood out in the third quarter, where he planted a whopping 25 points over the period! One small unit off the franchise record of Will Bynum and Reggie Jackson. Incandescent from afar (6/12), but also capable of sanctioning inside the 3-pt line (6/10), or of getting his points on free throws (8/8), the Pistons winger thus had the good idea to score a hit against the Lakers, who had inquired about him during the summer…
✅ Lonnie Walker IV. It would almost become a habit, but the Lakers guard once again shone in the shadow of LeBron James and Anthony Davis: 18 points, 7/10 on shots and 4/6 at 3-pts. The perfect symbol of the beautiful evening of the “Purple & Gold” at the level of the outside address (11/26 from afar, or 42% success) and the perfect sniper to take advantage of the gaps created by the James/Davis duo. Special mention to Austin Reaves as well, precious in the money time to push Detroit back.
⛔ Isaiah Stewart. Suffering in attack (8 points, 2/8 on shots but above all 2/7 at 3-pts…) and in defense (sometimes against LeBron James, sometimes against Anthony Davis), the Pistons’ interior has not clearly not shown his best face, on the occasion of his reunion with LeBron. Used in position 4 for two games, and the entry of Jalen Duren in the five, he draws more and more behind the arc, almost forgetting to make his power speak near the circle. Be careful not to become yet another caricature of the modern “stretch-four/five”…
THE FOLLOWING
Detroit (7-22) : trip to Charlotte, in the night from Wednesday to Thursday (01:00).
Los Angeles (11-15) : reception of Boston, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday (04:00).
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