Detroit Pistons defeat LeBron James, Lakers at home, 115-103

The Detroit Pistons dominated the first half. They survived in the second half.

A Jaden Ivey dagger 3-pointer with less than two minutes to play secured the Pistons’ second win in as many nights against one of the West’s top contenders. They defeated the Los Angeles Lakers at home 115-103 thanks to great shooting from Ivey and Cade Cunningham down the stretch.

The Pistons led by 14 at halftime and 20 early in the third quarter before a Lakers run cut their lead to six at the end of the quarter. Ivey (26 points) and Cunningham (17 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds) delivered late shots to prevent a collapse. With 1:36 left in the game, Ivey hit a 3, extending the Pistons’ lead to 109-100. A floater on their next possession gave them additional insurance.

Tim Hardaway Jr. finished the game with 19 points and Tobias Harris added 15. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 37 points and nine rebounds, and LeBron James finished the game with 20 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

Great first half, then survival mode against the Lakers stars

The Pistons got off to an inauspicious start, turning the ball over on two consecutive possessions to open the game. It was a false omen; The Pistons controlled the rest of the first half.

Harris and Hardaway got the Pistons going early with two three-pointers, the second giving them a 6-5 lead. They never stayed behind again. The veteran duo scored 16 of their first 19 points and finished the first quarter with 21 of their 33.

The Pistons ended the first quarter with a 12-2 run, taking an 11-point, 33-22 lead and leading by double digits by halftime. Ivey scored 10 of his 26 points in the second half and showed off his improved ball handling. He passed Reaves on a back-and-forth dribble that led to a layup and slid past Rui Hachimura for another, scoring eight of the first 10 points.

They led by as many as 20 points, with Hardaway knocking down a mid-range jumper with 2:56 left in the half to extend the lead to 62-42. They shot 54% overall and shut down the Lakers’ offense outside of Davis and James.

However, a 19-6 run by the Lakers erased most of their lead in the fourth. Part of that was due to cold shooting, as the Pistons shot just 2-for-10 from 3 (and 5-for-22 overall) in the third quarter, leaving the door open. D’Angelo Russell and Reaves each knocked down a pair of 3s in the quarter, giving the Lakers a needed boost.

Cunningham learns to be a “maestro.”

The fourth-year guard led the Pistons with 19 points in Sunday’s road win over the Brooklyn Nets, but got off to a slow start. The Nets caught and tackled him, and he ended the first quarter with a single shot attempt.

He became more comfortable as the game progressed and scored ten points in the final period after the Nets adjusted their coverage. The coaching staff wants Cunningham to lean on his teammates when defenses sign him additional defenders.

Cunningham got off to a similar start Monday, finishing the first half with a team-high four points and five assists as his teammates shined on the scoreboard.

“That’s one of the things we talked about,” Bickerstaff said before the game. “Teams will put more pressure on him and trap him more. What he did early on was he trusted his teammates and got them the basketball.

“That’s one of the things for him, he has to be the maestro of the game and understand what the opponent is doing, how to make them pay and then the game loosens up and changes as it goes along.”

Once again, Cunningham made it late. Back-to-back three-pointers midway through the third period gave the Pistons another 18-point lead before the Lakers cut the lead to six, 83-77, at the end of the quarter.

Cunningham opened the fourth with a lob to Jalen Duren for a dunk and reached the rim for two layups to stave off the Lakers’ run.

Late in the fourth, after James Davis found an alley-oop to cut the game to five, Cunningham answered with a fall-away jumper before sharing a trip at the finish line to give them an eight-pointer -Lead, 106-98, with 3 giving :18 left. With 41 seconds left and the victory in hand, Cunningham delivered one final layup.

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Great first half, then survival mode against the Lakers stars

Cunningham learns to be a “maestro.”

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