Detroit Pistons (52-19) beat Los Angeles Lakers (46-26) 113-110 at home on Monday, March 23 in a game that stayed within 13 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 27-23 and a 4-point lead after one. The Pistons moved in front with a 42-25 second quarter, carrying a 13-point lead into halftime.
The Lakers won the third 35-24 to stay in front, taking a 2-point lead into the fourth. The Pistons took the fourth 24-23; the Pistons finished the job for a 113-110 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Pistons took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.2% of possessions compared with 12.5% for the Lakers. In a 3-point game, those extra possessions were crucial.
The Lakers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 32.9 against 25. The Pistons made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Pistons produced 116.4 points per 100 possessions to 113.3 for the Lakers.
Who made the difference
Daniss Jenkins was the game's biggest individual force for DET: 30 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast on 11-18 shooting. His Game Score of 26.6 led everyone. His team was -5 with him on the floor.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 32 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl on 11-29 shooting, good for a 22 Game Score.
Jalen Duren (20 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast), LeBron James (12 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast), and Deandre Ayton (13 pts, 10 reb, 0 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Pistons about a 71% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Detroit Pistons lead 3-0.
The Pistons are now 52-19, and the Lakers are 46-26. The Pistons last five before this game: W-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.