National Basketball Association
Detroit 102, L.A. Lakers 97
When: 9:30 PM ET, Sunday, January 15, 2017
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #74 Curtis Blair, #11 Derrick Collins, #8 Marc Davis
Attendance: 18997

LOS ANGELES -- It could be worse, Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. But Van Gundy and the Pistons hope Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Lakers is a sign of things to come.

Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris scored 23 points apiece, and the Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak with a 102-97 defeat of the Lakers at Staples Center.

Center Andre Drummond collected 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons (19-24), who ended a six-game skid at Staples. Reggie Jackson chipped in 16 points and five assists for the Pistons.

"We haven't played nearly as well as we've liked, but part of it has been the schedule," said Van Gundy, whose team capped a five-game road trip. "When I look at things, I always look early in the year in relation to how many wins do you have in relation to how many home games do you play. We have 19 wins and we've played 19 home games, and that really sets up long haul as about a .500 season.

"So, it's not as bad as it's been portrayed, and we said before the game and everything we talked about is still there for us, but not the way we've been playing."

Lou Williams delivered 26 points off the bench, including one of his signature four-point plays, for the Lakers, who lost their fourth in a row and sustained their eighth setback in 11 games. Los Angeles guards D'Angelo Russell contributed 20 points and seven rebounds and Jordan Clarkson had 16 points. Clarkson suffered a sprained ankle in the second half, but it wasn't believed to be serious.

That wasn't what hurt the Lakers, though.

"We didn't bring it as a team," Russell said.

Both teams struggled offensively in the third quarter, combining to score 31 points in the period as Detroit led 75-72 heading into the fourth. The two teams exchanged leads for much of the fourth before 3-pointer by Morris gave the Pistons a 93-91 lead. They never trailed again.

Brandon Ingram made one of two free throws to cut the gap to 96-95, but a 3-pointer by Harris with 30.5 seconds left gave the Pistons a four-point advantage. Free throws by Jackson from that point on helped the Pistons clinch the win.

The Lakers roared out to an 18-4 after 3-pointer by Nick Young with 5:22 remaining in the first quarter. However, the Pistons chipped away at the lead and sliced the advantage to 31-23 after one quarter.

"It has been the same story for us in the last few games," Clarkson said. "We build up a lead and let it go away."

In the second, the Pistons outscored the Lakers 36-26. Drummond ended the half in dramatic fashion by intercepting a long pass by Russell for Ingram and then banked in a 3-pointer from 62 feet to lift the Pistons to a 59-57 lead at the break.

"Y'all know I shoot that shot every day," Drummond joked with reporters. "You saw me celebrate before the ball hit the backboard."

The Lakers outshot the Pistons 50 percent to 48 percent in the first half. However, Detroit converted 7 of 14 (50 percent) from 3-point range compared to 3 of 11 (27.3 percent) for Los Angeles.

For the game, the Pistons shot 43.2 percent to 43.4 for the Lakers. Detroit hit 9 of 25 (36 percent) 3-pointers to 6 of 26 (23.1 percent) for Los Angeles.

Fifteen Lakers' turnovers (leading to 18 points) to seven (seven points) for the Pistons also hurt the cause for Los Angeles. Russell committed five of the miscues.

The Pistons played without guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for the second game in a row. Pope suffered a Grade 2 left rotator cuff strain against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

NOTES: Lakers F Brandon Ingram shot 55.1 percent (27 of 49) from the floor and 56.3 percent (9 of 16) from 3-point range in the previous seven games. However, he made just 1 of 7 attempts, which was one of his 3-pointer tries, for five points against the Pistons. ... Pistons C Andre Drummond averaged 17.5 points and 16 rebounds in a split of the two games last season. ... The Lakers recalled C Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Sunday. ... Los Angeles was 13-3 against Detroit in games played at Staples Center entering the contest. ... The Pistons were tied with the Dallas Mavericks for second best in the NBA in turnovers per game at 11.5 before the contest. The Lakers were knotted at 22nd with the Oklahoma City Thunder at 14.4 per outing. ... The two clubs meet again Feb. 8 at Detroit. ... The Lakers host the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. ... The Pistons return home to face the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   L.A. Lakers
Tobias Harris 23 Scoring Lou Williams 26
Stanley Johnson 6 Assists Julius Randle 4
Andre Drummond 17 Rebounds Julius Randle 10
Tobias Harris 5 Free Throws Made Lou Williams 7
Andre Drummond 3 Steals Luol Deng 1
Aron Baynes 1 Blocks Ivica Zubac 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 102 43.2 9-25 11-16 24 46 6 6 7
L.A. Lakers 97 43.4 6-26 19-24 19 50 4 2 15
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against Denver. The Lakers have a W/L % of .267 after a win and .367 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Pistons have a W/L % of .389 after a win and .480 after a loss.