LeBron, AD lead surging Lakers past Pistons 125-111 for 5th victory in 6 games
LeBron James had 25 points and eight assists, Anthony Davis had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons 125-111 Tuesday night for their fifth win in six games.
D'Angelo Russell scored 21 points and hit four 3-pointers for the Lakers, who have won 10 of 15 overall to move three games above .500 (29-26) for the first time since a week before Christmas. Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves added 15 points apiece in another dominant offensive game by the Lakers' new starting lineup, which combined for 96 points.
The Lakers had a rare three-day break between games before this meeting, and they rolled to an early 24-point lead in their final home game before the All-Star break, when James will participate for the 20th time.
Spencer Dinwiddie had six points and seven assists in his debut with the Lakers, who signed the veteran Los Angeles native last Saturday. Dinwiddie started 48 games for Brooklyn this season, and the graduate of Taft High School in suburban Woodland Hills will be a key scoring option and playmaker off the bench for the Lakers.
Ausar Thompson scored 19 points and James Wiseman had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons, who had won two of their previous three games for only the third time all season. Team owner Tom Gores, who lives in Beverly Hills, watched from courtside.
Cade Cunningham had 12 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in the least impressive game of a strong road trip for Detroit, which beat Sacramento and Portland to open it before barely losing to the Clippers in this building last weekend.
One game after the Lakers put up 87 points in the second-highest scoring first half in franchise history, they dropped 71 on the Pistons and took a 71-48 halftime lead paced by Davis' 18 points and 12 boards.
Detroit trimmed the lead to 12 points with 4:50 to play, but got no closer. Davis sat out the entire fourth quarter, resting his legs for a back-to-back set ending in Utah.
New Pistons guard Quentin Grimes remained out with a sprained right knee. He has yet to debut for his new team since arriving in the multiplayer trade with New York.
Isaiah Stewart missed his seventh straight game for Detroit with a sprained left ankle. He should return immediately after the All-Star break.
Lakers guard Max Christie missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle.
UP NEXT
Pistons: At Phoenix on Wednesday.
Lakers: At Utah on Wednesday.