Cunningham's triple-double lifts Pistons above LeBron's Lakers

Detroit – Coach JB Bickerstaff revealed one of the most important lessons the Detroit Pistons learned after their embarrassing loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night. For a team with a sub-.500 record, Bickerstaff said the Pistons must have the mentality to strike their opponents first but make them uncomfortable early in the game.

The Pistons applied Bickerstaff's lessons Monday night during an interconference contest against the Los Angeles Lakers, resulting in a 115-103 win at Little Caesars Arena. By defeating the Lakers (3-5), the Pistons recorded their first home win of the 2024-25 season. The win against their Western Conference rival also marked the second straight win for the Pistons following a successful game against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

“(It shows) how quickly we can learn,” Bickerstaff said. “Understanding possession by possession, which is what we needed to do in the moment, taking care of the basketball in the fourth quarter and not giving them any extra chances.”

“We have people who are able to come to their place and meet each other. We have to make sure we focus on getting organized and I thought our guards did a great job of getting us into position and then allowing the guys to play from there.”

Cade Cunningham led the way with a triple-double performance of 17 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Anthony Davis led the Lakers (4-3) with a game-high 37 points and nine rebounds.

BOX SCORE: Pistons 115, Lakers 103

Jalen Duren's block on LeBron James early in the first quarter led to the Pistons having their best half of any game this season. Detroit took the lead 33:22 thanks to the high performance on both sides. On offense, Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. each scored 13 points in the first half, accounting for three of the Pistons' five triples.

Jaden Ivey scored 10 of the team-best 26 points in the second quarter and his contributions led Detroit to a 67-53 halftime lead. In addition to his scoring efforts, Ivey also contributed four assists and four rebounds.

“He plays for other people,” Cunningham said. “He was always extremely selfless when it came to doing whatever was necessary for the team. He uses his speed to penetrate defenses and collapse them by finding players in a timely and accurate manner. We give him space and opportunity to do what he does, and he makes the most of it.

The Pistons' offense was firing on all cylinders with a 54.0% shooting percentage from the field, but their dominance was built on a successful defensive performance that included four interceptions. Other than the LeBron-Davis tandem, no one on the Lakers roster had more than five points at halftime.

The Pistons led by as many as 20 points after Hardaway's midrange jumper with 2:57 remaining in the second period. With his Hall of Fame father Tim Hardaway Sr. in attendance, Hardaway finished the game with 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting and 4 of 8 from long range. Harris added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Detroit had a 19-point lead seven minutes into the third quarter when the Lakers mounted a comeback attempt. They outscored the Pistons 24-16 in that period and continued their momentum into the fourth quarter. Los Angeles was able to cut its deficit to single digits a few times in the final period, but the Pistons were able to avoid a collapse. James finished the game with 20 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Austin Reaves added 17 points.

“We've played a lot of games in the past where we didn't get it done,” Cunningham said. “When we are big, the teams come back and then we give up the game. These experiences definitely helped us.”

The Pistons will hit the road for a game on Wednesday night to take on the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. They then return to Little Caesars Arena for a three-game homestand beginning Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Tipoff between the Hornets and Pistons is scheduled for 7 p.m

Observations vs. Lakers

▶ Ron Holland II makes a huge jump off the bench

Ron Holland II had the best performance of his young career with 12 points, four rebounds and two steals. He influenced the Pistons' play on both ends and his play led to valuable minutes in the fourth quarter.

Bickerstaff's confidence in the first-year pro comes from Holland's fearlessness he has shown through the first eight games. Regardless of the opponent, Holland said that every time he steps onto the field, his top priority is to dominate while helping his team win. The highlight of the night for Holland came midway through the fourth quarter when he scored a layup over Anthony Davis.

▶ Another great double-double performance from Jalen Duren

Jalen Duren recorded his second straight double-double with 14 rebounds and 11 points. It was another encouraging night for Duren, who was in slump in the two games before his impressive performance against the Nets. During the Pistons' two-game winning streak, Duren averaged 15.5 rebounds, 12.0 points, one block and one steal.

▶ Clean glass

The Pistons set a season-high 55 rebounds and outscored the Lakers by 18 (55-37). After the win, Detroit leads the league with 38.1 opponent rebounds per game and has held teams under 40 boards six times. The Pistons grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, marking the fourth time this season they reached double-digit offensive rebounds.

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Cunningham's triple-double lifts Pistons above LeBron's Lakers

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Observations vs. Lakers

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