Lakers vs. Pistons, 111-91: It’s Bad Out There

The ugly got uglier as the Lakers fell to the Pistons on Sunday evening

Don’t let the score fool you; the Los Angeles Lakers’ meeting with the Detroit Pistons was not as close as the 20-point loss would indicate. In fact, it was much, much worse for the Lakers.

With Kobe Bryant battling the flu and his illness hardly doing his already poor performance any favors, the Lakers struggled out of the gate. Bryant was missing jumpers, Roy Hibbert looked inept, and the entirety of the team completely forgot what the general concept of defense is all about.

Detroit just lit up the Lakers from all over the floor. The perimeter defense of Los Angeles once again was atrocious as the guards and wings failed to close out on the Pistons amply, giving Detroit a plethora of fantastic looks from the outside. The struggles continued on the interior where Hibbert had no chance of dealing with the strength and athleticism of Andre Drummond on the interior, allowing Drummond to get essentially any shots or rebounds that he wanted. 

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It’s been said before about this Lakers team, but there is no longer an expectation for them to be a good basketball team. The honest goal of this team should be to keep their top-three protected 2016 NBA Draft pick. However, that shouldn’t come at the cost of effort, which was the case on Sunday.

Save for the Lakers young trio of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle, this team showed up like they couldn’t wait to leave Detroit before the first minute had run off the clock. It was evident by the severe lack of ball-movement that left the Lakers with only three assists at halftime and evident in how effortlessly the Pistons were putting points on the board.

A season where a franchise is rebuilding is always going to be rough, but games like this are particularly brutal. Yes, it’s only 20 points; but it’s also only 20 points because the fourth quarter was garbage time and Lou Williams happened to knock down some crazy outside shots. Other than that, the effort and execution in this game from the Lakers bordered on unwatchable.

Whether it’s Byron Scott, the front office, or the players themselves, something has to change and change soon. It’s fine if the losses keep coming, but it’s unacceptable to see a team play like the Lakers did on Sunday.

Three stars

D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson looked like the only three Lakers players who were aware that the Lakers were supposed to play basketball on Sunday in Detroit. Everyone else showed a sincere lack of effort, making the young trio for the Lakers stand out as the bright spot in this humiliating loss. No one else even comes close to deserving a star, no matter what the stats are.

Highlights

Odds

The Pistons were 9.5-point favorites in this game, which they covered with ease. The two teams also combined to hit the over on the 198.5 O/U line.

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Next Game

The Lakers travel north for a game against the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

The Pistons will travel south to face the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.