Malik Beasley had 21 points, Cade Cunningham had 20 points and 10 assists, and the Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 117-114 on Monday night, clinching the season series between the clubs.
LeBron James had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his 120th career triple-double, but missed a 3-point shot just before the buzzer. Only Nikola Jokic (11) has more triple-doubles this season than 39-year-old James (eight).
Jaden Ivey scored 18 points for the Pistons, who defeated Phoenix and Los Angeles and are looking for their first straight win since Nov. 17 and third time all season. Detroit, which defeated the Lakers at home last month, ended its road losing streak against the Lakers for the first time since 2017 with seven games.
Detroit led 117-106 with 2 1/2 minutes left, but the Lakers scored eight straight points on James’ driving layup with 46 seconds left. After a Pistons foul was overturned by video review with 28.9 seconds left, Cunningham missed a 3-pointer, then James missed an open 30-foot shot.
Anthony Davis had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers.
#8 Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Detroit Pistons shoots the ball during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on December 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE, Getty Images)
Pistons: Detroit still has room to grow, but this young group has beaten New York, Miami, Phoenix and the Lakers this month. The Pistons are fired up about playing on the big stage in Los Angeles, and it showed.
Lakers: Their 20 turnovers showed a lack of attention to detail, and the Pistons’ 117 points showed a lack of focus on defense.
important moment
Detroit took the game wide open early in the fourth inning with a 16-4 run from Ivey and Beasley.
Main status
James hit his 847th 3-point shot with the Lakers, passing Derek Fisher for second place in franchise history. Only Kobe Bryant (1,827) had more.
to the next
The Lakers will visit the Warriors on Christmas. The Pistons are in Sacramento on Thursday.
