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Lakers player grades: Big 3 leads L.A. to win vs. Pistons

The Los Angeles Lakers survived a late scare to beat the Detroit Pistons, 110-106.

Both squads delivered punches for the entirety of the first half where lead changes happened routinely.

The Lakers finally pulled away in the third quarter, an area of struggle all season, to take a 19-point lead at one point of the game. LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis were all huge during this run as the team turned it up on both ends of the floor.

However, the Lakers predictably allowed the Pistons to claw back into the game during the fourth quarter. Trey Lyles started the run, and though the Pistons didn’t have enough time to take the lead, Los Angeles is extremely lucky not to have lost.

Here is how the Lakers graded individually from the win:

Russell Westbrook: A-minus

Russell Westbrook had an efficient night overall, and he put the pressure on Detroit for all four quarters. He had his bank shot going in the first half and attacked the rim relentlessly in the second en route to a 10-of-16 shooting night. The only downfall to his game was missing four free throws; he went 4-of-8 from the stripe.

Westbrook finished with 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

Avery Bradley: D

Avery Bradley had a rough overall game. Though he had some solid individual moments — like when he poked the ball loose from Cade Cunningham that resulted in transition points — the bad overshadowed it.

He missed all five of his attempts — four were 3s — and had moments where he got lost on defense, which led to points for Detroit. Frank Vogel inserted Bradley to close out the game, but Bradley was short on a 3-pointer, then chose to bring help defense at the wrong time, which led to a Detroit 3-pointer.

LeBron James: A

LeBron James rebounded from an awful shooting night against the Sacramento Kings. He dropped a game-high 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting. He shot 4-of-6 from deep at one point but finished 4-of-9 because he settled for some jumpers late in the game.

LeBron added nine assists, five rebounds, two steals, a block and multiple and-1 opportunities.

Anthony Davis: A

Anthony Davis finished the game with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists while hitting 10-of-15 shots. He had some moments where he settled for jumpers over the top of shorter defenders, but he also looked to attack the rim more often than in previous games.

He also drilled both of his 3s, which is a positive sign since he’s struggled mightily all season.

DeAndre Jordan: B

DeAndre Jordan had a solid outing in his minutes, particularly at the beginning of the third quarter. His usual flaws came to light again, but his effort on both ends was a bright spot for the Lakers. He finished with nine points on 4-of-4 field goals, six rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist in 21 minutes.

Talen Horton-Tucker: C-plus

Talen Horton-Tucker had a rough start to the game, but he slowly found his rhythm as the game progressed. He made a 3-pointer and converted near the rim along with making impressive plays on the defensive end, like forcing a jump ball after going up vertically and challenging a shot at the rim.

He ended the game with 12 points (4-of-10 FG), eight rebounds, four assists and a block.

Malik Monk: D-plus

Malik Monk has been on fire as of late, but he cooled off in this one. He shot 1-of-5 overall and missed all three of his 3s in 22 minutes. He didn’t play with the aggressiveness he usually does.

Carmelo Anthony: D

Carmelo Anthony had a horrible night from the field as he missed all seven of his shots, four of which were from deep. However, he helped in other areas like grabbing four rebounds to go with two assists and a steal. His shot seemed rushed, but he provided good minutes at the 4 when James manned the 5.

Wayne Ellington: C

Wayne Ellington made a layup and swished a rainbow 3-pointer in his 15 minutes. He won’t have a revenge game against his former team this year, but his contributions were enough to warrant a passing grade.

Austin Reaves: N/A

Austin Reaves made his return following a hamstring injury. He played six minutes in the first half but definitely looked rough. He mishandled the ball twice that led to turnovers, and he didn’t return after that short stint. The crowd gave him a standing ovation and plenty of applause when he first checked in, but he won’t receive a full grade for this game.

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