The Western Conference road trip for the Detroit Pistons ended on a high note against the Los Angeles Lakers. After losing the previous two games, the Pistons convincingly defeated the Lakers, 128-106. Detroit will end its five-game road trip with a 25-8 record and its first-place spot in the Eastern Conference intact.
After stacking a double-digit deficit early in the first half, the Lakers cut the lead down to five by halftime. But Detroit corrected its offensive and defensive mistakes to help rebuild its lead to a sizable 20-point margin.
All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham had another dominant performance with 27 points and 11 assists. However, the story of the game had significant production aside from their franchise point guard on the way to their win.
Bench domination
Detroit has been able to lean on the help of its second unit to lift the team when needed. The Pistons received significant assistance from a few different players to complete their victory with 67 bench points.
Point guard Marcus Sasser entered the game in the first quarter and played his best game of the season for Detroit. Sasser scored 19 points in 24 minutes on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Sasser also knocked down four crucial triples to widen the gap for the Pistons.
Sasser missed significant time due to a hip injury before the start of the season. He was regularly used in garbage time in the fourth quarter, but was a key piece early for Detroit against Los Angeles. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had glowing admiration for his performance on Tuesday.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what Marcus Sasser did tonight, after not playing but somehow always finding his way in the moment. Both ends of the floor, I thought he was great defensively. Obviously hit some big shots for us offensively. It’s not easy to not play a ton and be as effective as he was,” Bickerstaff explained during his postgame media session.
The Pistons also saw huge contributions from center Isaiah Stewart off the bench by scoring 15 points and making all six of his shots. Forward Ron Holland also finished in double figures with 11 points and played some important defense on the Lakers' star point guard Luka Doncic. Additionally, wings Jaden Ivey and JaVonte Green made some key plays on both sides of the floor.
Identity production
Detroit's philosophy all season has pointed to defense and utilizing their athleticism in transition. Those identity traits were the strong suit for the Pistons against the Lakers as they had their way in the paint and on the fast break.
The Pistons remain the best team in the league with paint production and showed why by scoring 74 points there. The Lakers are one of the oldest teams in the NBA and the Pistons took advantage by making them run as often as possible. The Pistons won the fast break matchup with 31 points compared to only 12 from the Lakers.
Detroit also cleaned up some second-half mistakes of letting leads slip away to their opponents. The Pistons were able to outscore the Lakers 58-41 in the final two periods.
