Playing against a young and shorthanded team always feels like a trap, but the Los Angeles Lakers managed to overcome poor stretches to earn a victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night to improve to 4-10.
For the second consecutive game, Anthony Davis dominated the opposition in the painted area. Davis wound up scoring a season-high 38 points to go along with 16 rebounds and four blocks. Sixteen of Davis’ 38 points came in the fourth quarter and they were all needed as the Pistons managed to linger throughout the final period.
This type of performance surely helps ease the absence of LeBron James, who missed his third straight game due to an adductor injury.
Austin Reaves was moved to the starting lineup and he gave Los Angeles a shot in the arm offensively both as a scorer and a playmaker. Reaves has consistently made good decisions with the basketball in his hands and that was on display against Detroit as he took what the defense gave him. Reaves ended up leading the Lakers in minutes with 36 and was productive as he recorded 16 points and six assists.
Lonnie Walker IV had another strong scoring performance, finishing the night as the team’s second-leading scorer behind Davis with 17 points. Outside of Walker, though, three other Lakers finished in double digits.
Wenyen Gabriel was a spark plug on both ends of the floor but he did his damage near the rim finishing in the pick-and-roll and grabbing offensive boards to give L.A. extra possessions. Gabriel recorded a solid 15 points and seven rebounds.
Russell Westbrook didn’t have an efficient shooting night and struggled with turnovers, but did ultimately finish with his own double-double by scoring 10 points to go along with 12 assists.
The most encouraging sign off the bench, however, was Kendrick Nunn who finally seemed to break out of his scoring slump. Nunn was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc for 10 points.
Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant both made their 2022-23 season debuts and got crucial fourth-quarter minutes. Both looked a little rusty, but that’s to be expected after missing some time.
Next up for the Lakers
The Lakers draw the San Antonio Spurs at home before hitting the road to take on the Phoenix Suns. After Thanksgiving, L.A. interestingly enough plays San Antonio again for a back-to-back set.
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