- - Luka Dončić, JJ Redick say Pistons got away with fouls, physical play in 22-point win: 'You saw the refs let it go'

Chris CwikDecember 31, 2025 at 7:04 PM

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Before the Los Angeles Lakers' 22-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, head coach JJ Redick knew exactly how things would play out. Prior to the contest, Redick warned that, "[The Pistons are] going to foul on every possession, probably three or four times."

After the contest — a 128-106 loss for the Lakers — Redick said his pre-game prediction came true. The coach said he believed the Pistons got away with multiple fouls in the contest, which wound up frustrating the Lakers, per ESPN.

"I think there's probably a level of frustration when you're turning the ball over and you're feeling like you're getting fouled," Redick said. "There's frustration there, for sure. But I mean, again, I said it even here, we said it this morning: They're going to foul every possession. It's just, you got to play through it."

Lakers star Luka Dončić agreed with that sentiment, saying the refs allowed physical play during the contest. Dončić didn't necessarily express frustration over being fouled, but said the Lakers needed to match Detroit's physicality once it became clear the refs weren't going to penalize it.

"We've got to definitely match their physicality," Doncic said. "That's the whole point. We got to match how they play. You saw the refs let it go, so we should play [with] physicality, for sure."

Dončić led the Lakers with 30 points, but was also responsible for eight turnovers in the loss.

A total of 50 fouls were called during the contest, though they were split evenly among both teams. The Pistons were called for 26 fouls on the night. The Lakers received 24 fouls.

But it was a chippy game overall, as the Pistons were called for one flagrant foul and one technical foul and the Lakers were called for two technicals.

Unlike Dončić and Redick, LeBron James — who turned 41 on Tuesday — declined to take the bait on whether he believed the refs called the game properly, saying, "It's not my lane to talk about how it was officiated or not." He finished with 17 points.

With the loss, the Lakers dropped to 20-11 on the season. While the team still sits in the thick of the playoff race in the West, things haven't gone well for the Lakers lately. Los Angeles is just 1-4 over its last five games, with Redick calling out the team's defensive effort during that stretch.

Following Tuesday's loss, the Lakers' next three games will come against the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams are below .500, with the Pelicans having one of the worst records in the NBA.

That should give Los Angeles a few opportunities to get back on track before a Jan. 7 matchup with the upstart San Antonio Spurs.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”