The Kings on Sunday provided a brief respite from their troubles, but the Lakers were neck deep in them again on Tuesday, with the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons in town. The Lakers seemed to be outplayed in the first half, with the Pistons shooting 68%, Cade Cunningham shooting 9-13, and the Lakers turning the ball over 12 times, yet the purple and gold entered the break down by five.
They managed to keep it close in the third, even managing to pull even, despite many, many moments where it felt like Detroit would pull away.
But in the fourth quarter, the dam finally broke. An eight point deficit became 17 by the six minute mark, and eventually cracked 20. The Lakers got incredibly loose with the ball, a combination of carelessness and an attempt to force the action to find offense, and Detroit capitalized on all of it.
Offense was just incredibly hard to come by. Luka Dončić and LeBron James were both under 50% for the night. LeBron had more turnovers than dimes, and Luka had eight of his own. Deandre Ayton was the only other starter in double figures, but he also only had two rebounds and was broadly a non-factor in the game. Jarred Vanderbilt had eight points in the first half, none in the second. Nick Smith couldn't follow his strong Sunday with a decent Tuesday, missing all but one of his field goal attempts.
The Lakers have some winnable games on the slate, at least in theory, but the W's aren't going to come unless they can clean up the offense.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: Lakers lose to Pistons thanks to self-inflicted wounds.
SEGMENT 2: The Lakers have some issues scoring.
SEGMENT 3: What happens going forward?
Everydayer Club
If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.
Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Gametime
Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.
FanDuel
Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA and NFL seasons are here, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.