As even the most optimistic and happy people in the world can attest, all good things come to an end. On Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers' nine-game winning streak came to an end as they couldn't overcome the dangerous Detroit Pistons 113-110 on the road despite the absence of Cade Cunningham. It was Dennis Jenkins who delivered the decisive blow, drilling a go-ahead liner from midrange to give Detroit a lead they would not relinquish.
Although the Lakers won't be resting on their heels, this loss will at least give them time to think about what went wrong for them on the night and what they can do to make sure it doesn't happen again. But for head coach JJ Redick, it was clear What LA lost on the night was that they were without two key players, Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura, to compete against the Eastern Conference leader.
"We're a good basketball team. I believe we're a good basketball team. Not being smart killed us tonight. It's important for us to be healthy," Redick said in his postgame presser, via LakersMuse on Ax (formerly Twitter).
JJ Redick says one bad game can't undo what the Lakers have done recently:
"We're a good basketball team. I believe we're a good basketball team. Not being smart killed us tonight. It's important for us to be able to get healthy."
- LakersMuse (@LALMuse) 24 March 2026
That will be the number one goal for the Lakers moving forward: going into the playoffs with a full strength. Smart's absence on Monday doesn't appear to be a long-term thing, so at least this is a win for LA despite their losing streak on Monday.
Lakers outclassed by Pistons in clutch
The Lakers and Pistons both entered the night with 24 wins each by single digits, as they are two of the best clutch teams in the NBA. But even without Cunningham, the Pistons had plenty of time in crunch time, with Jenkins making it happen.
The Lakers have one more game left on their current road trip, which is a game against the weak Indiana Pacers, so this is at least a golden opportunity for them to start another winning streak.
