Lakers gave away 20 turnovers which turned out to be the deciding factor in team's 114-117 loss to Detroit Pistons on Monday.
They say the hardest opponent to face is often yourself, and for the Los Angeles Lakers, that’s been the story this season. Despite LeBron James adding another triple-double, the Lakers couldn’t get out of their own way on Sunday night, falling to the Detroit Pistons, 117-114.
The loss snapped their three-game winning streak and exposed a glaring issue that has been putting them under the pump for weeks: turnovers.
On paper, Lakers shooting 54.1% from the field, 46.7% from 3, should have been enough to push them over the line. But a careless 20 turnovers by the Lakers, compared to just 12 by the Pistons, turned out to be the deciding factor.
Detroit capitalized on those mistakes, scoring 28 points off LA’s turnovers, while the Lakers could only manage 9 points in return.
One of the culprits was Austin Reaves, who struggled with ball control, giving up 6 turnovers himself. His mistakes were part of a larger trend that’s becoming all too familiar for the Lakers.
Take last week’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, for instance. The Lakers gave up 21 turnovers in that matchup, allowing Minnesota to score 27 points off those mistakes. The result? A 97-87 loss.
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Their defense was the major issue at the start of the season. But more recently, it’s been their offense that’s struggling and head coach JJ Redick is well aware of the problem.
“It’s very hard in this league if you give the other team 15 more scoring opportunities,” Redick said after Monday’s loss.
“It just is.”
The numbers back him up. Over their last five games, the Lakers have given away 83 turnovers – an average of 16.6 per game. And despite their strong defensive play in recent games, they have found themselves under pressure offensively.
However, as frustrating as the offensive issues are, there is hope.
Redick has already shown he can fix the Lakers’ defensive flaws, with the team leading in defensive ratings.
Lakers fans are now hoping he can do the same for their offense – and do it sooner.
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