On their way to beating the Lakers, the Detroit Pistons also beat just about every buzzer that the game threw at them.
Tobias Harris dunked at the end of the first quarter, Andre Drummond hit a full-court shot to conclude the half and Ish Smith hit a jumper before the third period expired, and Detroit had no need for another one in the fourth quarter of its 102-97 win.
“We all know we got a young team here,” head coach Luke Walton said. “Down the stretch we’re playing teenagers, 20-year-olds, 21-year-olds — and this is a grown man’s league. Are we good enough to win? Absolutely, but it takes making mistakes.
“There is no formula that tells you, ’This is exactly what happens.’ Different people get it at different times, some people never get it and some people get it right away. I’m very confident that, as a group, we are going to get it.”
D’Angelo Russell stood out for the Lakers (15-30) in an otherwise painful night for the opening lineup.
The sophomore point guard provided 20 points and seven rebounds while his fellow starters — Nick Young, Luol Deng, Julius Randle and Timofey Mozgov — had to combine to reach 20 points on just 8-of-26 shooting.
“He was getting to the rim and he was causing all sorts of havoc on their defense,” Walton said. “Five turnovers are too many, but I thought he was good. I thought he played aggressive. He was out there playing hard on both ends.”
But even Russell couldn’t find his touch from 3-point range, where the starting five shot just 1-of-14.
Instead, Lou Williams was the threat from deep, racking up 26 points while knocking down five triples and seven free throws along the way.
Still, Detroit (19-24) committed just seven turnovers to Los Angeles’ 15, beating the Lakers at Staples Center for the first time since 2008 — back when Hall of Famer Allen Iverson was still on its roster.
The Lakers appeared to be rolling from the onset, jumping out to an 18-4 lead as the starting lineup began their unsightly night in hot fashion.
But the Pistons trudged on in the finale of their five-game Western Conference road trip.
The Lakers led by 11 with five minutes left in the half before Detroit ended it on a 21-8 run. The Pistons stole the lead in the final seconds, as Drummond launched a 62-foot shot that banked off the glass and in for a 59-57 edge at intermission.
Both teams kept it close in the third and for most of the fourth.
Lou Williams — who scored 11 points in the final period — hit a 3-pointer with three minutes left to put L.A. up 94-93, but the Lakers would miss their final seven attempts from the field.
Reggie Jackson followed by making a pull-up jumper while drawing contact, and completed the three-point play at the foul line.
After Brandon Ingram went 1-of-2 at the foul line, it appeared that the Lakers were going to get a needed stop, but Harris hit a corner triple on a busted play to push Detroit’s lead to four.
Harris and Marcus Morris led the Pistons to victory with matching 23-point nights, while the Lakers did a good job limiting Drummond to 6-of-17 shooting, though he still piled up 15 points, 17 rebounds and three steals.
Zu Fills In
Toward the end of the third quarter, Tarik Black appeared to roll his left ankle while driving to the rim.
Though Black — who was diagnosed with a mild sprain — later told Walton that he felt fine, he did not return. Instead, rookie Ivica Zubac stepped in for the Lakers.
The 19-year-old played his third game in two days after making a brief appearance against the Clippers on Saturday before dropping 20 points and 10 rebounds for the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders that night.
“I’m a little bit tired but prepared for this,” Zubac said. “I’m going to get through this. I was prepared and just waiting for my chance.”
Zubac made an impact on both ends in just nine minutes, finishing with four points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
“He did a really good job of running the floor, blocking shots, rebounding — all that type of stuff, doing the little things,” Randle said.
Notes
Before the game, Black addressed the crowd in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. … Randle shot just 1-of-6 but led L.A. with 10 rebounds. … Both teams shot less than 38 percent from the field in the second half and combined to hit 5-of-26 3-pointers. … A crowd of 18,997 sold out Staples Center.