The Detroit Pistons will have a difficult defensive task on the docket tonight
In surprising fashion, the Pistons have struggled mightily on the defensive end of the floor over the past two games. During those two road losses, Detroit allowed Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard to rack up 55 points most recently, then the Pistons were on the losing end of a 131-point effort from the Utah Jazz the game before that.
So, the NBA’s No. 2 defense has left a lot to be desired recently. Against the Jazz, perimeter defensive ace Ausar Thompson was even benched for much of the second half in favor of other matchups for the Pistons, which is a bad sign for Detroit’s usually-steadfast unit.
Then one game later, the hits kept on coming when Leonard put on a shooting clinic against the Pistons, first scoring over Thompson before Detroit cycled in Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart in a failed attempt to slow Leonard down. At the end of the Clippers’ 112-99 victory, Leonard finished with a 17-for-26 mark from the field, and the six-time All-Star also converted 16 of his 17 free throws as well.
“Again, it's how you control the balance and then where your help has to come from,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “The five-out spacing puts a ton of stress on your defense and how you rotate, when you’ve got two guys like they have who can put so much pressure on you in one-on-one situations. So again, give them credit. Hats off to them. They executed the game plan, and they made us pay.”
But with the Pistons still in Los Angeles tonight for a game against the Lakers, Thompson and the rest of Detroit’s defensive unit will turn their attention to Luka Doncic and LeBron James. This season, Doncic is factoring heavily in the MVP conversation with 33.7 points, 8.6 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game and is comfortably operating as an offensive juggernaut for the Lake Show. And James, while in a more reserved role this season, is still a high-level playmaker who can seamlessly dip into the action to initiate offense for the Lakers when Doncic is off-ball, so the Pistons will have a lot to contend with from that perspective tonight.
In terms of the Lakers’ offense, Los Angeles checks out as the No. 2 squad in the league for field goal percentage, so they’re taking efficient shots and converting at a high level with Austin Reaves also scoring upwards of 26 points per game this season to round out the trio of LA scorers.
For the Pistons’ final game of the 2025 calendar year, Detroit will be motivated to halt its two-game losing streak before it progresses any further. The Pistons take a lot of pride in their toughness and how they can take away an opposing team’s top scoring threat, and Detroit will look to return to that identity against a dangerous Lakers squad.
Tip-off between the Pistons and Lakers is slated for 10:30 pm tonight.
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