The Lakers squared off with the Pistons once again, underscoring the pressing need

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers’ road loss to the Detroit Pistons in early November served as a cautionary tale of how wrong things could go if they didn’t have the right mentality.

The Lakers felt they were unprepared for the Pistons’ power, speed and athleticism and let Detroit push them around before Los Angeles’ final late-game rally attempt fell short. It was the first time this season that the Lakers felt outplayed and outmuscled by a supposedly inferior opponent.

On Monday, the Lakers had their long-awaited rematch with the Pistons almost two months later. They were prepared – or so they said. But their 117-114 loss, which dropped them to 16-13 and seventh in the Western Conference, highlighted many of the same issues from the previous game. They were too slow, too small and too passive.

Los Angeles struggled to handle Detroit’s ball pressure and aggression and activity in the passing lanes, leading to 20 Lakers turnovers. The Pistons took advantage of many of the mistakes, scoring 28 points from those mistakes and attempting 18 more shots.

“It’s very hard to win in this league if you give the other team (18) more scoring opportunities than you did,” coach JJ Redick said. “It is. It’s hard to win.”

Austin Reaves, who led the team with six turnovers (double Anthony Davis, who was second with three) and pickpocketed in the backcourt, took ownership of his miscues.

“They’re a really aggressive defensive team and even personally I didn’t handle it well,” Reaves said.

Turnover hasn’t often been a problem for the Lakers this season. They are eighth in turnover per game and eighth in turnover percentage. The offense has generally been more organized under Redick, though it has slipped over the past few weeks.

But there’s a clear thread in the Lakers’ five games with 20-plus turnovers this season, three of which have come over the past five games: They’ve been against athletic, physical opponents, including the Minnesota Timberwolves (twice), Cleveland Cavaliers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Lakers don’t handle ball pressure, length and athleticism on the perimeter well, which brings up two of the needs the group has identified internally (like Athletics reported last week): a big 3-and-D wing and a quick, athletic guard. One of those player archetypes would have helped against Detroit, which created matchup problems with its backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

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Cunningham was too big for the likes of Max Christie, Reaves and Cam Reddish, bumping them with his shoulder to create space for jumpers or on his way to finish in the paint. He had 20 points (albeit on 25 shots) and 10 assists. Ivey was a blur in transition and off the dribble in half-court actions, blasting past Reaves, Christie and Gabe Vincent with ease. He added 18 points.

There was also an element of unselfishness in the Lakers’ performance, which can be a bad habit when they’re getting scored on or shots aren’t falling.

They didn’t just poke the ball away or intercept it. Davis dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds. Reddish threw an outlet pass that went right to Malik Beasley at the 3-point line, giving the sharpshooter a wide-open 3-pointer.

The Pistons scored 24 more paint points and attempted 24 more shots in the paint, both numbers that reflect how often they both got out in transition (due in part to Los Angeles’ turnovers) and were able to break down the Lakers’ half-court defense.

The turnovers and missed free throws (five total, four by Davis) undermined what had been a bounce-back performance by the Lakers. They shot over 54 percent from the floor and made 14 3-pointers (at nearly 47 percent). They got to the free throw line 25 times, both a reflection of their downhill tendencies and the Pistons’ physical defensive scheme.

James had his eighth triple-double of the season (28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists) in one of his most efficient performances (10-of-16 shooting, 6-of-7 free throw shooting and just two turnovers).

The next game the Lakers play will be their 30th of the season — the mark that vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said he wanted to wait before evaluating the team. The Pistons loss was a reminder that they need more athletic and physical players who can hang in these types of matchups. And James hinted that physicality isn’t something the Lakers can simply change on their own.

“We’ve got to be stronger. That’s all,” James said. “…We’ve got to do it as a team. We need to help guys open up. When guys push the ball, you have to help guys screen better. You have to shield better. … You need to use your triple-threat (position). When you have a live dribble, get guys off you.

“However, it is not something you can learn. You don’t learn to be more physical. It’s either in you or it’s not.”

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(Photo of Cade Cunningham and LeBron James: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)