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NBA: Lakers troubles on the road continue with loss to Pistons

The Lakers are now 4-3 for the season.

Written by Mitch Fretton
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NBA: Lakers troubles on the road continue with loss to Pistons
The Los Angeles Lakers’ hot 3-0 start to the season now feels like a distant memory after their recent struggles on the road.
Their 115-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night has left the Lakers at 4-3, with just one win on their current five-game road trip.
To add to their concerns, star forward Anthony Davis aggravated a lingering left foot injury late in the fourth quarter after scoring 37 points, which has him leading the league with an average of 32.6 points per game.
Davis’ injury flared up after a critical bucket late in the game, closing the gap to 103-96.
But as he planted his foot after jumping for a pass from LeBron James, he felt discomfort and limped back to the defensive end.

After a timeout, Davis was treated on the sidelines but stayed in the game, even managing an alley-oop dunk shortly after to cut Detroit’s lead to five points.

However, Detroit surged ahead with a 12-5 run to end the game.

He said: “I’ll talk to my trainer and just kind of figure out what exactly is going on.

“I’ve been managing it since this summer, honestly, and my goal for every game is to be on the floor. And I just kind of landed directly on the spot that’s been killing me. So, we’ll figure it out.

“We’re just two different teams right now. One game, we’re this team who showcased it can be one of the better teams in the league. Then the next, we’re this team who – I don’t even know who we are. So, we just got to be better.”

LeBron James, who contributed 20 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds, was uncertain about what Davis’ potential absence would mean for the team.

He said: “I don’t know. I’m going second by second. I don’t play the ‘if’ game.'”

In their recent games, the Lakers have struggled to maintain momentum, squandering a significant lead to the Phoenix Suns and suffering back-to-back losses to Cleveland and Detroit despite calling the latter games “must-wins.”

Now, the Lakers must regroup as they head into their next matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, hoping to stabilise their season and overcome recent setbacks.

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