Pistons vs. Lakers final score: Bench propels Detroit to win in LA

Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland were able to wreak havoc on defense

The Detroit Pistons are learning how to make any team in the NBA sweat. That’s new for them. The Pistons are also experts at still making their fanbase sweat. They’ve perfected that art over the years.

Despite building up an 11-point lead with 3 minutes remaining, it was a one-possession game with the ball in the Lakers ’ hands. Luckily, a deep LeBron three was off the mark, and the Pistons prevailed 117-114.

The win was Detroit’s 13th of the season, meaning they are just one win away from tying last season’s 14-win mark. It’s Dec. 23 and the Pistons have three more games before we hit 2025 and 53 games remaining this season. Can we fire Monty Williams and Troy Weaver all over again?

Cade Cunningham led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and he was able to hit some clutch baskets in the lane late, but it was an off night overall for the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

The jump shot was nowhere near falling, so Cade had to work hard for his points and ended up with one of his least efficient shooting nights of the season, going 9-for-25 overall.

It wasn’t the star that won the game for Detroit, and it wasn’t high-priced free agent acquisition Tobias Harris who finished with just six points. No, this game swung on the bulldog defense of Detroit’s two young wings — Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland.

They were bodying any player in front of them and forcing deflections, turnovers, and bad decisions.

For once, the mistake-prone Pistons were able to give an opponent a taste of their own medicine. The Pistons were able to force 18 turnovers and get out and run. They ended with 24 fastbreak points and a 28 to 9 advantage in points off turnovers.

The wings causing trouble, solid shooting from Malik Beasley and Simone Fontecchio fueled a 52-28 bench points disparity.

We’re used to a barrage of timely threes and a shimmy from Beasley, but it’s always nice when Fontecchio can find a groove. He was playing decent defense, driving into open lanes, not turning the ball over, and, of course, hitting his open shots.

None was bigger than what looked like a corner 3-pointer that stretched Detroit’s lead to double-digits with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

It was initially called an offensive foul but Detroit won the challenge, though the three was changed to a two.

That allowed the Pistons to retain some momentum with Cade on the bench and survive a few more body blows while Detroit’s most important player got a much-neeeded rest.

He would come in with 6:54 remaining and the lead whittled to six, but a few timely drives and a putback from Cunningham gave Detroit more breathing room leading to the game’s final moments. One of those drives even looked filthy. Note that Cade still does not get the benefit of any sort of friendly whistle.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good vibes and fun times. The Pistons do know how to make games more interesting than they need to be, after all. A Cunningham putback pushed the lead to 117-106 with 3:02 to play. It was the last points Detroit would score on the evening.

An ugly Cade turnover led to a Max Christie 3, which cut Detroit’s lead from 11 to eight. The Lakers got an offensive rebound the next time down the floor that turned into a James and-one that cut it to five.

Jaden Ivey got caught trying to do too much and moved his pivot foot in a congested lane for a turnover. Jalen Duren was able to swat a Christie layup but Detroit could only manager a pretty ugly Beasley three attempt. Another Lakers offensive board led to another LeBron driving layup and suddenly it was 117-114 with 46 seconds to play. Luckily, it was the last time the Lakers would score.

Cade was able to orchestrate a beautiful open corner 3 look for Tobias on the ensuing possession that would have iced the game, but Harris bricked it. Compounding things, Harris was called for a foul on a Davis drive the next trip down the floor, but the Pistons challenged the call and won.

That gave the Pistons the possession and the ability to bleed nearly all the clock down. Cade obliged by holding the ball to the end and missing badly on a 3-point attempt.

The Lakers had one final shot but all they could muster was the bad look from James and Detroit prevailed by three. The win is Detroit’s second in a row and means they will at least split their four-game West Coast road trip.

A win Thursday against the Kings would be Detroit’s first three-game winning streak of the season and the first for the team since a late-season trio of wins in March 2022.