Lakers take on Detroit in the Motor City
Today, the (4-2) Los Angeles Lakers will face the (2-5) Detroit Pistons for their fourth game of a five-game road trip. Los Angeles hopes to get back to .500 on the road after dropping two straight to Phoenix and Cleveland before defeating Toronto on Friday.
LET’S KEEP STACKING WINS 🔥
Tonight is a PERFECT opportunity for another road win as the Pistons are on the second night of a back-to-back 🙏 pic.twitter.com/DPuPZhDRyP
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) November 4, 2024
Winning the Winable Games
The Lakers have struggled over the previous two seasons with playing down to the level of their opponents. In LA’s first game against a clearly inferior opponent in Toronto, they proved they won’t overlook weaker teams by winning wire-to-wire.
For the Lakers to establish themselves firmly in the upper echelon of teams this season, they will need to continue to show that they can beat the teams they are supposed to. The Pistons are riddled with young talent and optimism but far from competing for hardware.
Tonight is another opportunity for JJ Redick and the team to prove they deserve to be discussed as a top team in the league. Another wire-to-wire win would be a fantastic way to do that, and hopefully, it will reward LeBron and Anthony Davis with some much-deserved rest in the fourth.
Battle of Backcourts
Detroit’s Motor City engine runs off of one man: Cunningham. He has averaged 24.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 6.9 APG through six games. His individual talent cannot be ignored, regardless of the team’s overall performance.
Cunningham’s partner in the backcourt, Jayden Ivey, has also finally popped this season. The Pistons’ number five overall pick in 2022, Ivey comes into tonight averaging 18.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.6 APG.
To this point in the season, Austin Reaves has looked tremendous. The hype surrounding how he would play this season under new coach JJ Redick has been real. Reaves is currently averaging 17.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 5 APG. His backcourt partner, D’Angelo Russell, has yet to fare as well this season.
Players to Watch For
Anthony Davis has been the best basketball player in the world through the season’s first six games. He is currently leading the early MVP race and the NBA in PPG. He is 5th in RPG, 7th in BPG, and 12th in FG% among players playing 25 mins or more. Anthony Davis officially snatched the baton from LeBron this season.
Anthony Davis has enjoyed eviscerating his opponents all season. AD has taken extra joy in his last four matchups against Detroit’s big Jalen Duren.
AD has DOMINATED Jalen Duren in all 4 games against him 😳
38 PTS, 16 REB, 1 STL, 4 BLK
34 PTS, 15 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK
28 PTS, 16 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK
20 PTS, 14 REB, 4 AST, 6 BLKExpect another AD masterclass tonight 😈 https://t.co/PZUV4e5KAr pic.twitter.com/2pFWdsONsQ
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) November 4, 2024
Tonight’s game features exciting young talents like Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, and, of course, Cade Cunningham for Detroit. Of those players, Cunningham is easily the player to watch for tonight.
Neither Austin nor D’Angelo is necessarily regarded as defensive anchors, so Detroit’s backcourt may give them trouble. Anticipate seeing JJ Redick throw a few different players Cunningham’s way in an attempt to slow him down.
This will likely come in the form of a Christie and Vincent pairing, taking turns on the talented young guard. Reaves and Russell have to remember that worst-case scenario: they have one of the best defenders in the world behind them to clean anything up.
