On the first night of their back-to-back set to cap off their road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Detroit Pistons. Coming off a tough loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers had a perfect opportunity to get back on track.

On the first game of a back-to-back set, the Lakers crushed the Pistons 133-107. They had good reason to win.

After Detroit took an early 5-0 lead, D’Angelo Russell scored for Los Angeles with a layup and then set up LeBron James for an open basket. The Lakers took a 15-8 lead when Anthony Davis scored twice in a row and set up Russell for a fantastic pass.

The Lakers took a 14-point lead thanks to Russell’s sustained hot shooting, which allowed him to gain double figures and find his scoring places with ease. Being in the bonus allowed Los Angeles to rush to the free throw line, and they went into halftime leading by 38 points.

A pair of threes by the Pistons helped narrow the gap, but Russell returned to the game and promptly made another long-range shot to maintain the Lakers’ lead of thirteen. With Davis’s return, the squad was able to calm down on defense and offense, and the score remained 49–36.

Throughout the middle of the period, Davis maintained Los Angeles’ advantage by defending the paint and scoring when the opportunity presented itself. The Pistons got a late-half jolt from Cade Cunningham, but the Lakers still led 65-48 heading into halftime.

After Jaxson Hayes hurt his left arm, he retreated to the locker room for a moment before getting back in the game.

Russell continued his blistering first-quarter shooting performance, as the Lakers took a 73-52 lead thanks to his individual baskets. A 20-point game ensued, though, when Detroit made a couple of jump shots.

Thanks to goals by Davis and James within the paint, the team was able to regain momentum and eventually increase their lead to 30 points. The Lakers maintained their 101-76 lead thanks to back-to-back threes by Russell, but the Pistons went on a run the second James walked to the bench.

As soon as he felt an opportunity to put Detroit away, James wasted no time getting to the basket, launching himself for layups and free throws. As the game drew to a close, head coach Darvin Ham decided to pull James and bring in the bench for the remainder of the game.

On the night, Russell spearheaded the Los Angeles Lakers and became the first player in NBA history to score 35 points or more, dish out five assists, block three or more shots, make five or more 3-pointers, and shoot 75% or better from the field in a single game.