Los Angeles (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Detroit Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 128-106 behind Cade Cunningham, spoiling LeBron James’ 41st birthday despite solid efforts from Luka Doncic.
As reported by Reuters, Cade Cunningham’s 27 points and 11 assists led the Detroit Pistons to a 128-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on LeBron James’ 41st birthday.
How did the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers 128-106?
On Tuesday, December 30, Marcus Sasser scored 19 points, Isaiah Stewart added 15, and Jalen Duren contributed 14 points with eight rebounds, helping the Detroit Pistons avoid a three-game losing streak.
The Pistons finished their Western Conference road trip with a 3-2 record, hitting a season-best 63.2% from the floor. A 15-4 surge in the fourth quarter allowed Detroit to take a 114-94 lead and secure the win.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic scored 30 points and added 11 assists, though he committed eight turnovers. LeBron James contributed 17 points, becoming just the 12th player in NBA history to play at age 41 or older.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James, appeared in his 1,577th career game, putting him just behind Robert Parish’s record of 1,611 games.
The Lakers ended a season-worst three-game losing streak with Sunday’s win over Sacramento, but lost four of their final five games to close out the year.
Falling behind by 14 in the second quarter, the Lakers leveled the score at 79 in the third with a three-point play by Luka Doncic. The Pistons bounced back and stretched their lead to nine points before taking a 96-88 advantage into the fourth quarter.
With less than two minutes remaining in the third, Luka Doncic exited to the locker room, showing discomfort in his left shoulder.
He re-entered the game before the fourth quarter began and returned to the court with 10:10 remaining as Detroit held a 99-90 lead, but he went 0-for-3 from the field and committed two turnovers the rest of the way.
The Pistons appeared more composed in the first half on Tuesday compared to their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday in Inglewood, California. They led 70-65 at halftime against the Lakers after trailing by 18 at the same point two days earlier.
By halftime on Tuesday, Cade Cunningham scored 20 points and added eight assists, rebounding from a scoreless first half with three assists against the Clippers while dealing with early foul trouble.
What did the Detroit Pistons and Lakers coaches say about defense and game performance?
Detroit’s coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, said,
“We just have a (defensive) system and no matter what your position is, you have to carry out the system. For us, it’s not about (position) numbers, it’s about positional responsibilities. Our perimeters have a job and they understand their job. Our big guys have a job, they understand their job. And then it all just kind of fits around there.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick, commenting on the Sunday victory, stated,
“This is the first game we’ve had all year that we won all four quarters, so I think that just says a lot about the approach and the consistent mentality that we played with. Just consistent basketball for 48 minutes.”
What were the player stats in the Detroit Pistons vs the Los Angeles Lakers match?
The player stats for the Detroit Pistons vs the Los Angeles Lakers match on December 30 are as follows:
Detroit Pistons scorers:
- Cade Cunningham – 27
- Marcus Sasser – 19
- Isaiah Stewart – 15
- Jalen Duren – 14
- Ron Holland II – 11
- Jaden Ivey – 9
- Jevon Green – 8
- Tobias Harris – 7
- Ausar Thompson – 7
- Duncan Robinson – 6
- Paul Reed – 3
- Cole Lanier – 2
Los Angeles Lakers scorers:
- Luka Dončić – 30
- LeBron James – 17
- Jaxson Hayes – 13
- Dalton Knecht – 10
- Jake LaRavia – 9
- Jarred Vanderbilt – 8
- Maxi Kleber – 3
When are the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers’ next games?
The Detroit Pistons will host the Miami Heat on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at their home arena.
The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Friday, January 2, 2026.
