DETROIT — The Lakers took care of business against a Pistons team that has not seen a single win in the month of November. D’Angelo Russell was scorching from the field, and Lebron James and Anthony Davis were close behind, each notching 20 point games to bury Detroit.
The Lakers are now 11-8 and 7th in the Western Conference.
Here are my three takeaways:
D-Lo Has His Best Game of the Year
D’Angelo Russell has been one of the most talked about names in trade rumors thus far in the season, but if you look at his stats over the course of the season, it may surprise you. Russell seems to be playing himself out of said talks with some recent performances, tallying 35 points on an insane 13-17 shooting.
Obviously it was against the worst teams in basketball, so if Russell can prove to continue this stretch against some of the better opponents on the schedule, he may be removed from trade rumors for the time being.
Lebron and AD Continue To Roll
The two superstars for the Lakers combined for 53 points on Wednesday against Detroit, and still look like one of the best duo’s in the league at times. With the amount of talent surrounding the league now, I know that is a bold statement, but these two have shown flashes of dominance already. Even with a lingering calf contusion, LeBron continues to amaze at his age, while Davis locked in immensely on both sides of the ball to crush the Pistons. These two need to play like this against the top teams, because we know their potential and we have seen them take games off. I look forward to seeing how much they get up for the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament.
Cam Reddish Back in Rotation
Although Reddish didn’t score against Detroit, he was still a +13 while on the floor and contributed defensively. The Lakers lacked some of his versatility over the past few games and having his corner three-point shooting helps as well for a team that has been hurt all year. I expect Reddish to eventually get back into the starting lineup as he builds back his conditioning and health as well.
The Lakers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in a back-to-back Thursday. Tip-off is set for 5:00 PM PST.
