On Sunday's seven-game NBA slate, the Detroit Pistons-Los Angeles Lakers clash is certainly the one to watch. The Lakers have been red-hot to start the season, sitting at the top of the Western Conference with an 8-2 record. Luka Doncic has easily been the best player in the league, staking his claim as the MVP frontrunner, averaging an incredible 40.1 points per game.
That's why a lot of fans were excited to see Ausar Thompson try to slow Doncic down. Unfortunately, they are going to have to wait a little longer to see that matchup.
Leading up to the 6 pm EST tipoff, the Lakers ruled Doncic out with a low back tightness designation.
Pistons are the heavy favorites against Luka Doncic-less Lakers
This is largely going to be a precautionary absence for the Slovenian superstar. He is coming off a 38-minute, 53-point outing against the Blazers on Friday. The Lakers had to travel to Detroit over the weekend and will face the Pistons on the first night of a back-to-back. They will head to Atlanta after the game tonight to face the Hawks on Monday.
Not wanting to face Ausar likely played a part. The Pistons have the best defensive rating in the league, and Ausar has once again been playing like the best perimeter defender in the NBA. It's understandable that the Lakers wanted to hold out their superstar, who has been averaging 36 minutes per game.
The Lakers are seemingly treating this game as a schedule loss. This means that the Pistons have to take advantage. They are also on the first night of a back-to-back, as they are set to host the Wizards on Monday.
The Pistons will be without Jalen Duren for the seventh straight game and Isaiah Joe for the sixth straight game.
Duren will unfortunately be out for at least another two weeks, per the latest official injury update. How much longer Joe will be sidelined, however, remains to be seen. The veteran shooting guard has been dealing with a hip contusion since his nasty fall in Philadelphia in the third game of the season.
Paul Reed will continue to get the start over Duren, and Kevin Huerter and Daniss Jenkins will keep getting extended minutes in Joe's absence.
For the Lakers, Doncic's absence means that Austin Reaves will play as many minutes and take as many shots as he can handle. Former Piston Quentin Grimes will likely get the start.
This gives the Pistons an excellent opportunity to extend their winning streak over the Lakers to five games. Detroit hasn't lost to the Lakers since February 2024.
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