Anthony Davis is off to a hot start and that’s bad news for the Detroit Pistons.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ star big man is averaging 31.8 games and 12.0 rebounds through the first six games. He’ll now face a team that he has dominated during his career when the Lakers visit Detroit on Monday night.
Davis has averaged 28.3 points in 19 career games against the Pistons, his highest point total against any opponent.
In the Lakers’ most recent game at Toronto on Friday, Davis recorded 38 points and 11 rebounds in a 131-125 victory. He has scored at least 30 points in all four of the Lakers’ wins this season.
Los Angeles was coming off its first two losses after opening the season with three consecutive wins.
“We need to win games,” Davis said. “We lost two in a row. We lost beating ourselves. So, I think we’re very capable of putting pressure on ourselves to have games where it’s a must-win.”
The Lakers led by 25 at halftime, then held off the Raptors’ late surge.
“We played extremely well,” Davis said. “The ball was moving. We’re getting good looks, great opportunities for one another. Our defense was phenomenal. Everything that we talked about from our two losses we went on to execute in the first half. And if we play like that, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”
The team’s other superstar, LeBron James, also is off to a strong start. He’s averaging 22.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.7 rebounds. He’s shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from long range. He posted 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds Friday.
“We took two steps forward,” James said. “That’s a good sign for our ballclub.”
The Lakers have won their past seven meetings against the Pistons. Detroit’s last victory in the series came on Jan. 28, 2021.
Detroit will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set. The Pistons collected their second victory of the season Sunday afternoon, rallying to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 106-92.
The Pistons outscored the Nets 54-35 in the second half.
“We know how good we can be,” Detroit forward Tobias Harris said. “We’ve just got to be consistent, night in and night out.”
Harris played a big role in the win with 18 points, six assists and five rebounds. Center Jalen Duren had his best outing of the season with 13 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Cade Cunningham scored 19 points, though he also committed seven turnovers. Malik Beasley provided a lift off the bench with 18 points.
“I thought the guys from a grit standpoint — how hard they played and how they shared the ball tonight — it was unbelievable,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “How they kept creating shots for one another — we got a ton of wide-open looks. Guys were getting to the paint and making the right read. Tonight, we played an identity game. It was big for us.”
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell reportedly is listed as questionable for Monday with a right foot contusion.
