On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers played on the same night as the LA Dodgers for the third time during the World Series, and finally, both of LA's teams won on the same day.
The Dodgers secured Game 7 with a 3-1 Game 6 victory at the start of the second half of the Lakers versus Pistons' game, and a loud roar went through the arena as the in-arena scoreboard announced the Dodgers' victory at Staples Center. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss dressed in a Dodgers' jersey exemplified that the heart of LA's sports fan was about three miles away at Dodger Stadium, and so, the Dodger victory finally cleared the nerves to focus on the Lakers' lead.
By the time the Dodgers clinched a Game 7, the Lakers led by 13 points due to an impressively balanced offensive performance against a team that had beaten the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors before entering Staples Center. A win over the Lakers would have resulted in a clean sweep of the Pistons' Pacific Division road trip.
When the confetti finally settled at Staples Center with the Lakers claiming a convincing 113-93 victory, LA had seven players score in double figures, and Brook Lopez was the only starter not to hit that mark. The big man finished his night with eight points in 21 minutes.
Larry Nance Jr. recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Julius Randle put together an incredibly efficient performance with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists in only 17 minutes on the court. Randle actually finished as the leading scorer for the winning side, though rookie Kyle Kuzma added 16 points in the win, and four other players tabbed at least 13 points: Brandon Ingram; Nance; Kentavious Caldwell-Pope; and Lonzo Ball.
"They dominated us," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said after the game. "Their energy, they were better at both ends. They played harder. They played sharper. It was a humbling experience, I think, for our guys. It certainly was for me. I think they absolutely dominated the full 48 minutes. They won all four quarters."
Along with the offense clicking, the Lakers' defense also came through by not fouling the Pistons all night long. Detroit didn't shoot its first free throw until the fourth quarter and only attempted three foul shots on the night, which was a Lakers' record according to Spectrum SportsNet.
The Lakers' defense ranked 11th over all in defensive rating entering the night, and the purple and gold held the Pistons, who were the top team in the Eastern Conference entering the night, to only 93 points on 43.6 percent shooting from the field.
"It's not easy to play like that," Lakers coach Luke Walton said after the game. I think as part of this process of growing and the journey that we are on, you have to learn to really embrace and enjoy how hard it is to play like that."
The coach added, "I don't think we are going to play that great every night, obviously. That was really night as far as putting all of that stuff together, not for 48 minutes, but for most of the game. It shows that our team is capable of being a very good basketball team when we are really playing together and playing for each other and playing hard."
On this night, simply, the Lakers outplayed the Pistons, evidenced by LA outscoring Detroit in every quarter of Tuesday's contest.
Next, the Lakers play in Portland on Thursday, but before that, the Dodgers play Game 7 on Wednesday night at Chavez Ravine.
