The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business against the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night, winning 125-111. The score, even in a 14-point blowout, makes the game appear closer than it was, as L.A. had a 71-48 halftime lead and were in control from wire to wire. It was the perfect game for veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie to make his Lakers debut, as the pressure was low and a win felt secured early on.
Dinwiddie played 31 minutes in his first appearance as a Laker. And while he struggled shooting the ball at just 2-for-6 from the field and 1-of-5 from 3 to finish with only six points, it was still a successful debut for the 30-year-old guard. He racked up seven assists and two steals and brought all the playmaking and defensive energy that was expected of him from the signing. He was a plus-5 on the night.
It’s the type of outing that shows exactly why the Lakers prioritized adding him from the post-deadline buyout market, as he brings L.A. the exact skillset that they have been missing off the bench in the absence of Gabe Vincent.
When Dinwiddie entered the game for the first time he got a huge reception from Lakers fans, which he appreciated in his hometown.
“That was fire, that was elite,” Dinwiddie said. “Obviously, you always wanna play in front of your home city, you always wanna have the crowd behind you. There’s nothing like this fanbase. With the winning history and culture, obviously they have high standards and know what to expect and hopefully we live up to that.”
Dinwiddie was just as positive about how things went on the court, saying that the way the game went allowed him to get adjusted more quickly than if it were a close battle.
“I think he had me in there with different lineups to try to find a comfort zone,” Dinwiddie said. “He’s probably gonna, especially in games that we have a handle on, he’s probably gonna try to get me adjusted very quickly, so I wasn’t necessarily surprised by that. A couple of reads I second-guessed and got turnovers, unfortunately.
“In general, I think it was solid. Again, we had a 20-point lead most of the game so I don’t think that was really indicative of impact. We could’ve won without me, to be honest. But it was fun to get out there. Everybody makes the game so easy, especially AD on the defensive end. He covers up everything. It’s amazing.”
The best basketball of Dinwiddie’s career was played when he was coming off the bench for the Dallas Mavericks and playing alongside Luka Doncic. The Lakers are built in a relatively similar way with LeBron James making life easier for everyone offensively, but they have the added bonus of Anthony Davis’ elite defensive metrics.
Because of that, Dinwiddie is free to play his style of basketball knowing the pressure is not entirely on him to make things operate. It figures to help him immensely, and in turn, help the Lakers.
Darvin Ham to try Spencer Dinwiddie in three-guard lineups
Three-guard lineups were an unpopular choice by head coach Darvin Ham during the team’s previous iteration. But with the current team, he may find more success by pairing Dinwiddie with Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell. He is undoubtedly going to try the trio and see if there’s anything there.
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