The Detroit Pistons kept things rolling with a 113-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. A night highlighted by the starting five was headlined by guard Daniss Jenkins, who ended the night with a career-high 30 points to go along with eight assists in his third start in a row.
Lakers guard Luka Dončić ended an up-and-down performance with a team-leading 32 points.
Dončić, a fellow 2026 All-Star alongside a pair of Pistons players, struck first for the Lakers with a close-range floater. He would score 17 of LA’s 27 points in the first quarter as he carried their offense with a mixed bag of moves.
Tobias Harris would hold things together on the boards with a few early rebounds, which helped the Pistons navigate through an ice-cold start from both sides that was only shattered by some much-needed jumpers and creative looks inside. Duren would catch up with four boards by quarter’s end while tying in a close-range strike of his own. Both sides ended the slower quarter with a combined 33 rebounds, but the Lakers would barely prevail in the battle on the boards with a 2-rebound difference by the final horn.
Detroit would pull ahead with a 13-point lead by halftime as it used a mix of point-blank strikes and 3-point shots to keep the Lakers off balance. The Pistons would end things off with their fifth night with a clip of 40% or more from the 3-point line this month behind the efforts of Jenkins and Duncan Robinson.
While Los Angeles continuously knocked on the doors of victory in the second half, Jenkins would keep the Lakers at bay with a mid-range jumper and a few free throws.
The Pistons continue to build up their lead in the East after clinching a playoff spot with a win over the Golden State Warriors. Detroit earned another regular-season sweep over a Californian counterpart with their win over the Lakers after claiming a regular-season record of 2-0 against the Warriors with their Friday win.
Detroit remains five games ahead of the Boston Celtics and 5.5 ahead of the New York Knicks, who the Pistons have earned a combined 6-1 record against during their 2025-26 regular season campaign.
The Pistons will move on to face the Atlanta Hawks, who have been on a tear with 13 wins in their last 14 matchups. Detroit can take the regular-season series sweep with a victory after winning one game on the road and two at home, including in a dominant December win that saw eight Pistons end the night in double figures. Detroit once shattered the hopes of a red-hot Charlotte Hornets squad, who entered a February game on a 9-game win streak before the Pistons defeated them in a 110-104 victory on Charlotte’s home floor.
The Pistons will tip off against the Hawks at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday in Little Caesars Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network – Detroit.
