After consecutive losses to the Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to get back on track on Halloween against the visiting Detroit Pistons. Stan Van Gundy's squad was one of the hottest teams in the NBA coming into this matchup but were humbled as they made their way out of Staples Center on Tuesday night.
“The dominated us,” Van Gundy said of the Lakers. “Their energy, they were better on both ends, they played harder and they played sharper. It was a humbling experience I think for our guys. It certainly was for me. They absolutely dominated the full 48 minutes. They won all four quarters, we never got it under double figures in the second half. They dominated us. They got whatever they wanted. We had no fight in us. It was a bad, bad night.”
The Lakers outscored and outworked the Pistons on both ends of the floor all night long. It was arguably the team's best all-around performance of the season thus far with everyone that got on the floor getting involved and contributing in one way or another.
Van Gundy made a point of it to point out the performances of Julius Randle and rookie Kyle Kuzma. The veteran head coach believes these two talented forwards made easy work of his squad.
“I thought that's when the game first opened up actually when Kuzma and Randle took Henry [Ellenson] and Jon [Leuer] apart,” Van Gundy said. “They just went out there and took them apart, and they opened up the game, and then we were never really able to make a run back of any note whatsoever.”
Kuzma and Randle combined for 33 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists off the bench for the Lakers. Both players helped lead the charge for Los Angeles offensively as they crushed the Pistons, 113-93.
Prior to getting blown out by the Lakers on the road, the Pistons had been making quite an impression around the league as they had won three straight against playoff-caliber teams in the L.A. Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers, however, were in desperate need of a win after losing a big lead against the Raptors and failing to even be competitive against the Jazz. Now the team has snapped a two-game skid, Lonzo Ball and company will hit the road for one game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night before heading back to the Staples Center to face the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
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