The Los Angeles Lakers have won their fifth game over their last six contests tonight with a 125-111 win over the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons have a league-worst 8-44 record but that didn’t lead to the Lakers underestimating their opponents who have faced top teams in competitive fourth-quarter losses. This was a one-sided affair, with the Lakers taking an early lead and never letting it go.
Fans were ecstatic at the win, especially over Anthony Davis‘ DPOY-level performance.
Had to do it for the home crowd before the All-Star Break π«‘ pic.twitter.com/ZbOMyWD99G
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 14, 2024
Fans shared a clip of Anthony Davis single-handedly stopping a three-on-one fastbreak with a block and wondered why he’s not leading the DPOY race.
Not hearing enough AD for DPOY pic.twitter.com/y6Twh6Pzda
— The Pettiest Laker Fan π€« (@ThePettiestLA) February 14, 2024
More fans wondered why AD has gone 12 years in the NBA without winning DPOY.
3 on 1 and these mfs canβt score on the TITAN ANTHONY DAVISππ BRO HOW DOES THIS MAN NOT HAVE A DPOY??
— Β²Β³π»ππ±ππππππππππβοΈππ (@BronGotGame) February 14, 2024
Anthony Davis had more fans making his DPOY case for him.
That's the DPOY. Stop playing.
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) February 14, 2024
The new Lakers starting lineup is 5-0 and fans are overjoyed that the team finally has a reliable starting five.
lakers are now 5-0 with the starting lineup of bron, ad, rui, dlo & austin pic.twitter.com/aSWJWVHXVv
— jeanie πΆβπ«οΈπΆβπ«οΈ (@jeaniezk) February 14, 2024
Fans were marveling at LeBron pulling off incredibly athletic plays in Year 21.
https://twitter.com/veganhenny/status/1757641020706115988
Fans were encouraged by some new tactics at play with Spencer Dinwiddie’s debut, including three-guard lineups.
yall.. the 3 guard lineup is working right now
itβs the pistons i know i know
but π
— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) February 14, 2024
Pistons fans were desperate to have some positive takeaways and praised Ausar Thompson and James Wiseman’s performances tonight.
Ausar Thompson and James Wiseman are the only Pistons bright spots tonight
— PistonsThoughts (@PistonsThoughts) February 14, 2024
Anthony Davis ended the night with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks, which prompted fans to hail him as the DPOY. LeBron James managed his load with an efficient 25 points and eight assists in 30 minutes. D’Angelo Russell’s strong form in 2024 continued with a 21-point outing tonight.
The Pistons looked like the worst team in the league, unable to compete with the Lakers in this wire-to-wire loss. But they saw encouraging flashes from their young roster, with rookie Ausar Thompson finishing with 17 points. James Wiseman had an efficient 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey combined for 25 points on 30 shots in an inefficient night for the young backcourt.
The Lakers Are Looking Dangerous Again
The Lakers have had a season wracked with inconsistency. They’ve had injury issues hurting their rotations all year but they don’t excuse the poor play we’ve seen from the franchise unable to break into the top six of the West. But the team has looked much improved in the last two weeks, winning five of their six games.
Every team in the top 10 of the West came into their games tonight with a +.500 record over their last 10 contests. The Lakers stood pat at the deadline, meaning they’ll be relying on the group they’ve had all year to lead them up the standings. They did add Spencer Dinwiddie from the buyout market, and he put up six points and seven assists in his Lakers debut.
Anthony Davis’ case as Defensive Player of the Year is alive again, but for the 30-year-old to win the first DPOY of his career, the Lakers have to earn a far better record than they have right now. AD is averaging 1.1 steals and 2.5 blocks this season, being the single-most impactful defensive player on the Lakers and arguably the league.
With the team finding a rhythm once again with the roster limitations they have, they will be hoping to put together a run like they did last season to climb into the seventh seed. They likely won’t achieve the same feat with 43 wins this season given the increase in quality around the West. They currently sit two games behind the No. 8 seed Sacramento Kings and are 3.5 games behind the Suns in No. 6.
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