DETROIT — The reasoning could be the Lakers were on the fourth game of a five-game, 11-day road trip. It could be that despite not being too far apart in the average ages of their teams (24.278 vs. 25.285), the Detroit Pistons are equipped with more speed and athleticism, especially in the backcourt. It could be that the Lakers took an opponent lightly, given that the Pistons have been one of the league’s worst teams over the last half-decade. Or it could be a combination of all of the above that led to the Lakers (4-3) falling to the Pistons, 115-103, on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena for their third loss in their last four games. “We’re all disappointed,” first-year coach JJ Redick said. “We’re all disappointed.” The Pistons (3-5), playing on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Brooklyn Nets on the road Sunday night, played with more energy. They were quicker to grab loose balls and rebounding opportunities, scoring 22 second-chance points off of 17 offensive rebounds. The Pistons beat the Lakers to spots, either off drives past the Lakers’ slow perimeter defense or off cuts into gaps they couldn’t recover in time for. Detroit had a 33-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 62-42 late in the second before taking a 67-53 lead into halftime. The Lakers tightened their defense in the second half and cut their deficit to 83-77 entering the fourth quarter, but they didn’t get any closer. “I just don’t think we competed hard enough the first half,” guard Austin Reaves said. “Anytime you go down around 20 at any point in the game, it’s tough to fight your way back.” The Lakers also struggled to match the Pistons’ physicality, with Detroit knocking Lakers off their spots as they were trying to move offensively. Anthony Davis, who came into the game averaging an NBA-best 31.8 points, had another strong performance with 37 points (13-of-23 shooting), nine rebounds and four assists, but he was hobbling late with an apparent left foot injury. Davis finished the game, saying postgame that he has been managing the issue since the summer. “My goal for every game is to be on the floor,” Davis said. “And I just kind of landed directly on the spot that’s been killing me. So, we’ll figure it out.” When asked about the severity of the foot issue, Davis responded: “I don’t know. I’m not sure to be honest. We’ll see. But we’ll take it a day at a time and kind of see how it feels and where it goes.” LeBron James finished with 20 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Related Articles Lakers | Cam Reddish makes debut in Lakers’ rotation: ‘He certainly earned some trust’ Lakers | NBA reopens investigation of Jaxson Hayes’ 2021 domestic incident: ‘We’re going to cooperate fully’ Lakers | Lakers’ transition, pick-and-roll defense remain focus as road trip continues Lakers | How the Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell is thriving with new coach JJ Redick Lakers | Lakers’ LeBron James speaks about endorsing Kamala Harris for President When a reporter was in the middle of asking James about the status of the Lakers if Davis wouldn’t be available, Davis interrupted the question, saying, “He’s not out. You already asked that question.” Reaves added 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting for the Lakers, who got just 10 points from their reserves, including a scoreless night from Gabe Vincent (no shots in 18 minutes). Jaden Ivey (team-high 26 points) essentially sealed the win for the Pistons, hitting a 3-pointer that put Detroit ahead by nine and a floater on the next possession to give the Pistons a 111-100 lead with 1:01 left. Cade Cunningham, who had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his third career triple-double, made a layup late for a 13-point lead. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19 points, Tobias Harris scored 15 and Jalen Duren had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons. The Lakers close the trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.