Lakers vs. Pistons Final Score: The lifeless Lakers fall on the road to the Pistons

The Lakers carried their weak second half against the Raptors on Friday to Detroit on Monday. The result was the most frustrating loss of the season, as the Lakers fell behind early and never got back into the contest, losing 115-103.

Anthony Davis scored 37 points with nine rebounds and four assists. LeBron James finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. D’Angelo Russell contributed 11 points and eight assists. Austin Reaves finished with 17 points, four assists and four rebounds.

The bench was terrible, scoring a disappointing 10 points. Jaxson Hayes and Dalton Knecht each had five Points. Although he didn’t score, Cam Reddish provided impressive minutes on defense in his first appearance of the season, playing 14 minutes and replacing Max Christie in the rotation.

AD started aggressively, converting a free throw and then a layup. Both teams began trading baskets and leads. They shot 33% from the field six minutes into the quarter, and the Pistons took advantage to take an eight percent lead.

After Detroit’s offense slowed down, LA began running the ball in transition. The Lakers reduced the deficit to two.

However, the Pistons began converting their shots again. Jaden Ivey converted layups and handed Isaiah Stewart a dime for an alley-oop layup that had the crowd shaking.

At the end of the first period, the Lakers trailed by 11.

The Pistons were still preparing to start the second. LA looked dubious and struggled more than necessary against a team like the Pistons. Detroit scored easily as many of their points came in transition, and their lead grew to 13 as the Lakers continued to look sloppy.

LA had no defensive presence on the field while AD sat and the Pistons scored easily. Unfortunately, despite AD’s return, Detroit executed everything they wanted. The Pistons had all the momentum in their favor and went up by 17.

Los Angeles’ disastrous first half ended with a three-pointer from LeBron. They were down 14 at halftime.

The second half began with an offensive foul that resulted in another loss of possession for LA. The Lakers still lacked energy and hustle, while the Pistons looked like they wanted it more. A mid-range shot from AD and a 3-pointer from Austin gave the team a breath of life.

As the third period came to a close, the Lakers cut the deficit to 11 with a 7-0 run. D’Lo and Austin eventually reached double figures as everyone else struggled. The Lakers finally found a fight while the Pistons missed their shots.

At the end of the quarter, LA got within six with much better defense and shooting.

The Pistons struck first to start the final frame. LA cut the deficit to eight and kept fighting their way back into the game. The three-ball was tough for the Lakers as they were missing a few balls that would have helped them get even closer.

No matter how close Los Angeles seemed to be, Detroit had the answer and they were ahead by nine with 6:53 left. With 3:19 left, the Lakers trailed by eight. Despite visible ankle discomfort, AD stayed there the entire time.

LeBron knocked down two free throws to make it a six-point game. But Ivey put the final nail in the coffin with a 3-pointer and a layup. The Pistons then added insult to injury by hitting a few more layups to end the contest.

Key Takeaways:

The lack of care the team showed in 97% of this game was terrible. You can’t let a young, hungry team like the Pistons overwhelm you all game long.

Will we ever get good games from Max Christie and Gabe Vincent? What’s up? Why can’t you at least be offensive?

After several great starts, Rui saw a decline in production. Hopefully it’s just a minor slump that gets better sooner rather than later.

The Lakers’ next game is against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.