The Los Angeles Lakers registered a convincing 110-106 win over the Detroit Pistons thanks to a big performance from their Big 3. Nearly everything good for L.A. involved LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook on Sunday.
The All-Star trio anchored the team’s defense and carried it offensively, putting on a show with flashy dunks and thunderous blocks.
They scored 82 points combined, registering five of the Lakers’ 11 steals and four of the team’s eight blocks along the way.
James scored a game-high 33 points, shooting 4-for-9 from behind the 3-point line. The four-time NBA champion also collected five rebounds and dished out nine assists himself — most of them naturally ending up in the hands of Davis and Westbrook.
James started slowly, though, letting Davis run the show in the first quarter. The 28-year-old forward scored 13 of the Lakers’ 23 points in the opening period. He eventually ended the night with a couple dozen in addition to collecting 10 boards.
Notably, Davis also went 2-for-2 from downtown despite shooting a poor 17% from behind the 3-point line this season.
Westbrook chipped in 25 points but most importantly, he did a good job at helping James run the Lakers’ offense. The 2017 NBA MVP equaled the forward’s nine assists on Sunday. In the end, James and Westbrook were responsible for over a half of L.A.’s dimes against the Pistons.
Talen Horton-Tucker provided the Lakers’ Big 3 with the most support from the bench. Even though the 21-year-old guard fell into foul trouble early, he bounced back in the second half and finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
DeAndre Jordan put on a solid display, chalking up nine points, six assists, two steals and two blocks.
Jerami Grant proved to be the Lakers’ menace yet again. The Pistons forward scored 32 points, shooting 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Cade Cunningham, Trey Lyles and Frank Jackson joined grant in flooding L.A. with triples late in the game, shooting 9-for-21 from deep combined.
The red-hot 3-point shooting propelled Detroit’s comeback rally. The Pistons managed to bring the game back within just three points in the last seconds of the game after falling 18 points behind.
But the visitors ran out of time to complete the comeback and eventually fell to Los Angeles for the second time this season.
Next up for the Lakers
The Lakers will try to avenge their recent triple-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings away from home on Tuesday. Then, the Purple and Gold will return to Staples Center for its first meeting with the L.A. Clippers of the season on Friday before hosting the Boston Celtics the following Tuesday.
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