The Los Angeles Lakers were flying high over a nine-game win streak which saw them beat fellow contenders like the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets, among others. Unfortunately, their streak came to an end against the Detroit Pistons without Cade Cunningham, losing 113-110 in a tough loss.
The Lakers were without guard Marcus Smart and forward Rui Hachimura in this clash after enjoying a spell of great health over this win streak, outside LeBron James' absence for their first three wins in this stretch. But the absence of Smart and Hachimura hurt the team significantly in this narrow loss.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke to the media after the game, openly admitting that this team is at it's best when everyone is healthy and how not having Smart and Hachimura affected them negatively.
"We're a good basketball team. I believe we are a good basketball team. I think we could've been a good basketball team all season. We saw flashes of it and short stretches of it, but we're a good basketball team. We have to continue to play together. It is remarkable to me that our winning streak has coincided with us being healthy."
"Not having Smart tonight killed us. It's important for us that we can get healthy and we can play our rotation. Post-Luka trade, when all nine guys have played, we've been a good team. Vando did a great job tonight when he had minutes.
"The way our team works, you need Smart for ball-handling and defense, you need Rui for shooting, those pieces are important to complement everybody. We need to finish the season strong, but we also need to finish the season healthy."
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) with head coach JJ Redick Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Smart is the Lakers' leader in plus/minus this season with a +238 over the whole year. He's averaging 9.5 points, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals, playing a crucial three-and-D role for the team while also serving as an extra ball-handler outside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, or LeBron.
Hachimura is averaging 11.1 points on 43.8% from three this season. His improvement as a three-point shooter has made him a key member of the Lakers rotation, as he can provide an offensive spark without being overreliant on service from the guards or corner shooting.
The Lakers don't have the luxury of other top teams, who can win games while missing key rotation players. While championship-caliber teams often find ways to beat their opposition regardless, the Lakers can't seem to do it when key role players are absent and can't help make their experimental lineups more cohesive.
The Lakers have a 7-5 record in games without Smart and a 5-8 record in games without Hachimura.
Their next game on this road trip will come against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
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