Heading into their Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Detroit Pistons anticipated potentially playing against a LaBron James-less LA team

On the injury report, the Lakers downgraded LeBron to questionable. The veteran forward has been managing a left foot injury.

That won’t stop him from playing on Monday. The Lakers have upgraded LeBron to available for the matchup against the Pistons.

Prior to LA’s current three-game stretch leading up to Monday’s game, LeBron missed two games for the first time this season. In matchups against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers went 1-1 without their star forward.

When James returned to action on December 15 to take on the Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron checked in for 34 minutes. He scored 18 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds to help lead the Lakers past the Grizzlies.

In the next two games, LeBron appeared on the court for 34 minutes each time. He averaged 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists while hitting on 47 percent of his shots from the field.

When the Pistons and the Lakers met for the first and only time this season back in early November, LeBron checked in for 40 minutes. He produced 20 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists. Although LeBron was on the floor, his presence didn’t help propel the Lakers past the Pistons as Detroit defeated LA by 12 points.

As far as the rest of the Lakers’ injury report goes, LA ruled out Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Jaxson Hayes. Anthony Davis was also questionable, but has been upgraded to available.

On Monday, the Pistons will search for their 13th victory of the year.

When the Detroit Pistons square off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, the home team could miss the superstar forward, LeBron James.

According to the official NBA injury report, James is considering an “injury management” absence. Lately, James has been dealing with concerns regarding his foot. He recently missed two games, although his reason for absence was personal.

Prior to his first absence, James appeared in the Lakers’ first 23 games of the season. After a 43-minute shift in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks, James sat out against the Portland Trail Blazers. He stayed off the court for the following matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On December 15, LeBron returned to action to face the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored 18 points in 34 minutes, helping the Lakers take down the Grizzlies.

Over the next two games, LeBron appeared on the court for 34 minutes in each matchup. At this point, the Lakers are on a three-game win streak since he’s been back in action. Clearly, the presence of the superstar forward makes a big difference for LA.

When the Pistons faced the Lakers earlier this year, LeBron James checked in for 40 minutes. He scored 20 points while coming down with eight rebounds and dishing out 11 assists.

Even with LeBron on the court, the Pistons handled business and picked up an impressive 12-point victory over the Lakers, who were on quite the roll to start the season.

At this stage in the year, the Lakers are 16-12, ranking sixth in the Western Conference. When playing at home, they have won nine out of 12 games. Monday marks the first and only time the Pistons will pay the Lakers a visit this year.

LeBron James is likely a game-time decision for the matchup, which tips at 10:30 PM ET.

Royal Oak — Twinkling, flashing, gleaming and dancing — the Detroit Zoo’s annual Wild Lights attraction features a dizzying array of lighting displays of all sorts, but it’s a huge undertaking.

The zoo’s staff brings the magic to life with luminous, larger-than-life animals, an interactive talking tree and everything in between.

It’s a bit like decorating one’s own home for Christmas, said Detroit Zoo Senior Director of Guest Experience Emily O’Hara — just on a massive scale, as the zoo provided behind-the-scene access this week to their winter wonderland.

“We started counting all the lights at one point,” O’Hara said, “but you get over a million, then over 2 million and where does it stop? So, we just say millions of lights.”

This year’s display includes 676 trees wrapped with lights; more than 500 lighted “sculptures” of plants, animals and other objects; and holiday-specific items such as heating stations and a warming lodge. They all had to be set up by Wild Lights’ opening night, which this year was Nov. 23.

While the team must work swiftly, they must also work carefully. If there are too many lights on one side of a tree, for instance, they will be instructed to remove them and start over.

“There is a meticulous nature to it,” O’Hara said. “It isn’t just throwing lights and hoping they stick. We want everything to be the best product we can put out there for the guests.”

The months of hard work were evident to Phil and Carolyn Durst of West Branch, who were in Metro Detroit visiting family on Friday when they decided to check out the lights.

“We had no idea what to expect, but this is really amazing,” Phil said. “They did a great job.”

“They thought of everything, every animal you could think of,” Carolyn added.

Wild Lights continues at the zoo through Jan. 5. After that, the staff will begin tearing down the displays — carefully, so as not to tangle the thousands of strands.

Virtually all of the lights and holiday items are removed once the season is over, although some, like the large globe that can display video images, are often repositioned and repurposed for other zoo events throughout the year.

Where do the rest go during the offseason? Many are housed in the sizable storage area near the middle of the zoo, which includes eight shipping containers and a large shed. O’Hara said another 12 off-site shipping containers are used. And more lights yet get stuffed into any closets that might be available elsewhere at the zoo.

O’Hara said the staff works year-round to ensure visitors get a new experience each year. With Wild Lights entertaining families for more than a decade now, that means planning begins in January.

The staff works throughout the year to repair and repurpose aging items while the administration orders new pieces. The trend over the past few years has been on “interactive items” like a colorful see-saw and swings that kids can play on, or the talking Christmas tree that implores passersby to make a holiday wish.

Installation usually begins in late July and actually continues right up until Wild Lights opens for the season around Thanksgiving.

Once the lights are strung and the attractions in place, the work isn’t over yet. Rain and snow will occasionally cause a strand of lights to burn out. But more common are issues caused by native wildlife, zoo officials said.

“Anyone who has tried to string up lights at their own home may have encountered how squirrels find them a delicacy,” O’Hara said with a chuckle.

When items need to be tested or programmed, they’re taken to the backstage area of the Ford Education Center’s 4D theater, not only because that’s one of the largest indoor spaces at the zoo, but with the lights off, it’s dark enough to mimic the night sky outside.

“The advantage back here is we actually have a truss we can raise and lower, so it makes it much easier to reach our stuff and work on it,” said Lauri Besler-Kroll, a member of the zoo’s utility department.

During the behind-the-scenes tour for The Detroit News, team members were testing the light curtain that will be used for the special “Zoo Year’s Eve” countdown. At 8 p.m. on Dec. 31, the curtain will display an animal-themed New Year’s countdown, giving little ones who may not make it to midnight a chance to ring in 2025.

Wild Lights has become a family tradition for the family of Mike Newton of South Lyon. The dancing sticks stood out to daughter Kaylin, 5, while the rainbow-color trees were a favorite for Abigail, 3.

“They’ve been coming since they were under 1,” said Mike. “Always a good time.”

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

Wild Lights

What: Wild Lights Presented by Corewell Health Children’s is the Detroit Zoo’s seasonal attraction filled with animal-themed light sculptures and other holiday fun.

When: Remaining dates are Dec. 21-23 and Dec. 26-31, as well as Jan. 2-5. The event opens at 5 p.m. each evening. Tickets are available for entry every half-hour. Sales stop an hour before Wild Lights closes each night. The event closes at 10:30 p.m. through Dec. 28 (except Dec. 26) and at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 29 through Jan. 5.

Cost: Online general admission ticket prices vary by date and time slot, and range from $17-$25 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the gate (unless the zoo reaches capacity for a given time slot) for $26. Groups of 20 or more can buy tickets for $15-$23 per person. Packages are also available for daytime admission to the zoo, plus Wild Lights in the evening ($38); the “Picnic Package,” which includes an unlimited food buffet ($50 online, $55 at the gate); and the “Ultimate VIP Package,” which includes food and drink, plus a carousel ride and ticket to a screening at the 4D theater ($70 online, $75 at the gate).

Online tickets: dzoo.org/wildlights

Where: Detroit Zoo, 8450 W. 10 Mile, Royal Oak