Wild stats that perfectly explain the Lakers’ 22-point blowout of the Pistons

A trip to the Western Conference for Detroit Pistons ended on a high note against the Los Angeles Lakers. After the defeat in the previous two games, v The Pistons convincingly defeated the Lakers128-106. Detroit will finish its five-game road trip with a 25-8 record and its first place in the Eastern Conference intact.

After trailing by double digits early in the first half, the Lakers cut the lead to five by halftime. But Detroit has corrected its offensive and defensive mistakes to help rebuild his lead to a significant 20-point margin.

All-Star play Cade Cunningham had another dominant performance with 27 points and 11 assists. However, the story of the game had significant production beyond their franchise point guard en route to victory.

Domination on the bench

Detroit has been able to rely on help from its second unit to lift the team when needed. The Pistons got significant help from several different players to complete their 67-point victory.

Quarterback Marcus Sasser entered the game in the first quarter and played his best game of the season for Detroit. Sasser scored 19 points in 24 minutes on an efficient 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Sasser also knocked down four key 3-pointers to widen the gap for the Pistons.

Sasser missed significant time with a hip injury before the start of the season. He was regularly used in the garbage in the fourth quarter, but was a key figure early for Detroit against Los Angeles. Head coach JB Bickerstaff had glowing admiration for his performance on Tuesday.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention what Marcus Sasser did tonight, after he didn’t play, but somehow he always found a way in the moment. Both ends of the floor, I thought he was great on defense. He obviously hit some big shots for us on offense. It’s not easy not to play a lot and be as efficient as he was,” Bickerstaga explained during the session.

The Pistons also saw a huge contribution off the bench from center Isaiah Stewart, who scored 15 points and made all six of his shots. Forward Ron Holland also finished in double figures with 11 points and played important defense on Lakers star point guard Luka Doncic. In addition, wings Jaden Ivey and JaVonte Green made some key plays on both ends of the floor.

Identity production

Detroit’s philosophy all season has been to defend and use their athleticism in transition. Those identity traits were a strong suit for the Pistons against the Lakers as they had their way in the paint and on the fast break.

The Pistons continue to be the best paint-producing team in the league and showed why by scoring 74 points. The Lakers are one of the oldest teams in the NBA, and the Pistons took advantage of that by making them run as often as possible. The Pistons won the fast break with 31 points compared to just 12 from the Lakers.

Detroit also righted some mistakes in the second half when they gave up the lead to their opponents. The Pistons managed to outscore the Lakers 58-41 in the final two periods.