D’Angelo Russell racked up 35 points and nine assists for Los Angeles while the host Detroit Pistons established a franchise record for futility in the Lakers’ 133-107 victory on Wednesday night.
Russell, who added two blocks, went 13-for-17 from the field. Anthony Davis powered for 28 points and 16 rebounds, while LeBron James contributed 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists as the Lakers bounced back from a 44-point loss to Philadelphia on Monday. Christian Wood added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Detroit has lost 15 straight games, setting a franchise record for the longest losing streak in a single season. The Pistons lost 14 consecutive games during the 1993-94 and 2021-22 campaigns.
Cade Cunningham’s 15 points led Detroit. Isaiah Livers had 14 points, while Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson chipped in 12 apiece.
Davis had 19 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as the Lakers cruised to a 65-48 halftime lead. Russell supplied 18 points and eight assists, and James added 11 points. Livers and Stewart had nine points apiece for the Pistons, who shot 36.5 percent from the field in the first half.
Russell made all six of his field-goal attempts and dished out four assists in the first quarter as the Lakers established a 14-point lead.
Detroit was down 11 at 49-38 after Jaden Ivey made a pair of free throws just over six minutes into the second quarter. The Lakers then had an 8-0 spurt, including four points from Davis. Russell capped the burst with a fadeaway jumper.
James hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half.
Russell converted a three-point play 14 seconds into the second half to give his club a 20-point advantage. It only got uglier from there for Detroit. Russell and James knocked down 3-pointers during a 9-0 run that gave Los Angeles a 79-52 lead.
The advantage increased to 30, 91-61, with 3:46 left in the third quarter when James made two free throws. The Lakers finished the quarter with a 101-76 lead.
James had a personal 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter to lift Los Angeles’ lead to 32 points. The Lakers cruised from there.
–Field Level Media