James and the Lakers fought, but the streak had to come to an end at some point.
The Los Angeles Lakers had been rolling, winners of nine straight games dating back to March 6 and riding their longest win streak since the 2019-20 championship season.
That run came to an end on Monday night when the Detroit Pistons, owners of the best record in the Eastern Conference, handed them a 113-110 loss at Little Caesars Arena in a game that came down to the final seconds.
James Gives Detroit Its Flowers
After the game, LeBron James was asked about falling to the top team in the East, and he didn't hold back when it came to giving the Pistons their respect.
"Of course you give credit where credit is due, they are the number one team in the East," James said. "They got a really good team, even with their All-NBA player being out. I give a lot of credit to them. We gave ourselves a chance. That's all you can ask for."
That part about their All-NBA player matters.
The Pistons are now 52-19 and have been doing all of this without star guard Cade Cunningham, who is out for an extended stretch after suffering a collapsed lung.
Detroit has gone 8-2 without him, and it was second-year guard Daniss Jenkins who filled the void with a career-high 30 points on a scorching 11-for-18 shooting night that included four three-pointers and six points in the final 34 seconds to seal the win.
LeBron's Scoreless First Half Turns Into a Double-Double
One of the biggest storylines of the night was James going scoreless in the first half, something that hadn't happened to him since 2010 and has only occurred three times in his entire career.
Head coach JJ Redick, however, wasn't worried about the scoring, telling reporters he thought James "played a really unselfish game" and praised him for making the right play throughout the night.
James proved that point in the second half, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists for the double-double.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers' offense with 32 points, and Austin Reaves added 24 of his own, but the three-point shooting did them in as they went just 8-for-29 from deep.
On the other side, Jalen Duren posted his 37th double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds while going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
What Comes Next for the Lakers
The second quarter was where this game got away from the Lakers, as Detroit outscored them 42-25 to build a lead that eventually stretched to 16 points.
To their credit, the Lakers fought all the way back and actually grabbed a 108-107 lead on two Deandre Ayton free throws with 39.9 seconds remaining, but Jenkins answered with clutch free throws down the stretch to put Detroit back in front.
Doncic had a chance to tie it at the buzzer with a three-pointer, but the attempt came up short after LeBron's inbound pass was deflected by Tobias Harris.
The loss drops the Lakers to 46-26 on the season, still sitting third in the Western Conference.
With matchups against Indiana, Brooklyn, and Oklahoma City on deck, the Lakers will look to start a new streak and prove this was just a bump in the road.