The Detroit Pistons made a name for themselves in the 1980s for being a physically imposing side. Their tough style of play earned them the ‘Bad Boys’ moniker. And though the 2024-25 squad is nowhere near the ‘Bad Boys’ in terms of how feared they are in the league, but LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will surely have nightmares about their stifling defense, despite what the 39-year-old may say.
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The Pistons completed the season series sweep over LA last night, holding on after a nervy 4th quarter to win the game 117-114. A standout of the performance was their domination on the defensive end and they forced the Lakers to commit 18 turnovers on the night. They scored 29 points off those turnovers, further deepening the Lakers’ woes.
LeBron James, who managed a respectable 28-11-11 despite the loss, claimed boldly that their opponents’ playstyle on the night didn’t do much to throw him off his game, due to his time spent as a wide receiver on his high school football team.
The 4x MVP did agree about how the physicality of opposing defenders has been the downfall of the Lakers’ offense this season and added that as a team, they need to be stronger when it comes to such resolute defenders. Speaking to Dave McMenamin in the locker room, James said,
“We just gotta match physicality with physicality. I can’t speak for nobody but myself when it comes to that. I’m a football player so I don’t mind physicality to be honest. Perfectly fine for me, but as a team we just gotta be better. We gotta be better. Be stronger that’s all.”
LeBron James on whether opposing teams’ physicality- like Detroit – is getting the best of the Lakers: “I’m a football player so I don’t mind physicality, to be honest” pic.twitter.com/5jwit85CMj
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 24, 2024
The Lakers, who came into the game on a 3-win streak, would have loved to make it 4 in a row. Unfortunately for them, they set the tone early by committing 5 turnovers in the first quarter and never seemed to recover from that, letting the Pistons’ defense slowly chip away at the Lakers.
The Lakers lost the game on turnovers
The Lakers normally boast a buttery smooth and free-flowing offense under JJ Redick with James at the helm, but something changed last night. The Pistons, who are a blitz-friendly team, pressured the ball handlers into committing avoidable turnovers and took full advantage of it.
The Lakers starting five committed 13 of them, and it seemed like JB Bickerstaff’s defensive coordination was working like a charm. Austin Reaves looked most susceptible to a mistake, with the shooting guard committing a game-high 6 turnovers.
Lack of composure has been a major talking point for the team, and it’s something that’ll continue to haunt them until they make a conscious effort to work on it. As LeBron James said to McMenamin, they do need to be stronger as a team, and this includes mental strength as well as physical. Players keeping their cool in high-pressure situations, while also playing smart basketball will become vital if the Lakers want to get back to winning ways.
Their next matchup, the Warriors on Christmas Day, will present another challenge. Warriors’ elite outside shooting is tough to guard and they are also among the top 10 teams defensively. It’ll be interesting to see how the Lakers overcome this opponent.
