There’s an old saying: “It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish”. But for the Detroit Pistons right now, it’s the complete reverse.

The Pistons came so close to overturning an early 26-point deficit against the Los Angeles Lakers but fell short, despite a furious comeback. The result was made worse by the Lakers' absence of Luka Doncic; however, Austin Reaves was in inspired form, dropping 43 points to give Detroit back-to-back losses.

So, what went wrong? Why did an understrength Lakers side overcome the Pistons?

Back at it tomorrow pic.twitter.com/OFV7pzTxqw

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 9, 2026

Detroit were overwhelmed to start

The Pistons looked completely outmatched in the opening quarter against the Lakers, undone by uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns, a costly series of turnovers, and an incredibly efficient shooting display from Los Angeles.

Even without Doncic, the league’s leading scorer, who was sidelined with back tightness, the Lakers wasted little time asserting their dominance. Los Angeles came out firing, unleashing a devastating 25–5 run that quickly put Detroit on the back foot.

By the end of the first quarter, the Lakers had built a commanding 38–14 advantage.

Detroit entered the matchup boasting the NBA’s top-ranked defense, but that reputation was nowhere to be seen from the opening tip. The Pistons lacked urgency, intensity, and defensive discipline from the outset.

The struggles became so evident that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was forced to call an early timeout less than two minutes in. Frustrated by the uncontested layups his team allowed, Bickerstaff stormed onto the court to address the defensive breakdowns.

Detroit continued to look disorganized in its half-court rotations, repeatedly allowing the Lakers to penetrate with little resistance.

The result was a staggering 20 points surrendered in the paint during the opening 12 minutes alone.

To make it worse, the Pistons struggled to find their rhythm, managing just 6-for-22 shooting (27.3%), while the Lakers caught fire offensively.

They took advantage of Detroit’s sluggish defensive closeouts; Los Angeles dominated the opening quarter, knocking down 16-for-23 attempts (69.6%) from the field, including an impressive 5-for-8 from three-point range.

Can a team with title hopes afford to rely on second-half comebacks?

To put it bluntly … No.

Before facing the Lakers, Detroit found itself in a massive 15-point halftime hole against the Philadelphia 76ers, ultimately falling just short of completing the comeback.

This pass... pic.twitter.com/0EWDUlKako

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 9, 2026

Suffering similar setbacks on consecutive nights against elite competition is a clear warning sign: Consistently playing with fire eventually comes at a cost.

With Jalen Duren sidelined for the next two weeks due to injury, Detroit is already significantly thinner in the frontcourt. Digging out of deficits exceeding 20 points forces Bickerstaff to lean heavily on his available core, piling excessive minutes onto his key players.

Against the Lakers, Cade Cunningham had to play 38 demanding minutes to pull Detroit back into contention. Over an 82-game season, repeatedly playing this kind of game can accelerate fatigue, wear down key contributors, and increase injury risk.

Ultimately, the Lakers' loss exposed a troubling pattern that could derail Detroit's ambitions if the team doesn't address it quickly.