DETROIT — All that stood between the Lakers and a .500 road trip was the last-place team in the league.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t easy. Nothing is for these Lakers.
Big nights from their two starting stars powered it as LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 69 points in a 124-117 win over the Detroit Pistons. But it wasn’t sealed up until Austin Reaves nailed a corner 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining, giving the Lakers the breathing room they needed to survive.
It allowed them to finish 3-3 on a trip that started with two wins but was quickly undermined by injuries and illness.
The Lakers led by as much as 14 but the Pistons were hanging in by single digits for most of the game. Detroit got cooking in the third when Bojan Bogdanovic (38 points) scored 25, including five 3-pointers that brought it within a point by the end of the third quarter.
The Lakers never lost the lead, in part because coach Darvin Ham tightened the rotation. Russell Westbrook (11 points, 9 assists) notably didn’t play a minute of the fourth quarter.
Davis added 15 rebounds and 7 assist to his stat line. The Lakers were also 21 for 27 at the free throw line to help seal it.
