Cade Cunningham scored 27 points and handed out 11 assists to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 128-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Marcus Sasser added a season-high 19 points, and Isaiah Stewart contributed 15 as the Eastern Conference leaders snapped a two-game losing streak and finished 3-2 on their West Coast trip.
LeBron James scored 17 points on his 41st birthday, including three 3-pointers, but spent the final minutes on the bench while the Lakers fell in their fourth loss in five games.
Luka Doncic led Los Angeles with 30 points and 11 assists, while Jaxson Hayes added 13 points, but the Lakers were unable to contain Detroit’s aggressive attack in the paint.
The Pistons dominated inside, scoring 74 points in the paint and repeatedly exploiting mismatches against Deandre Ayton and the Lakers’ undersized frontline.
Detroit jumped out early with accurate shooting and high-energy drives, weathering a third-quarter rally led by James before surging ahead with a 16-6 run that extended into the fourth quarter.
Despite losing Tobias Harris to a left hip sprain in the first quarter, Detroit maintained control with strong ball movement and defensive discipline, limiting the Lakers to 45% shooting overall.
The Pistons improved to 25-8, extending their winning streak against the Lakers to three games, while Los Angeles fell to 20-11, still without a single-digit loss this season.
Detroit will host the Miami Heat on Thursday, while the Lakers return home to face the Memphis Grizzlies the same day.
