Detroit — The Detroit Pistons understand how a winning streak can change the season’s trajectory. The Pistons won 13 consecutive games in October-November, tying the record for the longest streak in franchise history. It catapulted them to championship contention and the top of the Eastern Conference with a 51-19 record.

A handful of teams have had long winning streaks of their own since the Pistons’ 13-gamer. The latest are the Los Angeles Lakers. After defeating the Orlando Magic Saturday night inside Kia Center, the Lakers arrive in Detroit on Monday on a nine-game winning streak. It’s the league’s second-longest current winning streak, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won 11 consecutive games.

Lakers are legit NBA championship contenders

Similar to the impact of the Pistons’ winning streak in Detroit, the Lakers’ streak has them looking like they’ll be into the final stretch of the season as one of the few teams with a legitimate chance to capture the NBA championship.

“Their health and continuity are different,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “When you go back and look at that stretch (in December, when the Lakers were 5-7), they had guys who were in and out. Now, there has been consistency among the guys on the floor. At the end of the day, they are a talented team.”

Things were different for the Lakers when the Pistons visited Crypto.com Arena in December, taking a 128-106 victory in Los Angeles. The Lakers are 46-25 now, but they were not regarded as a contender at the time.

At the time, the Lakers faced numerous questions about their poor defensive performance. They had the fifth-worst defense in the league, with a net rating of 117.8, while opponents averaged 117.3 points per game. During their nine-game winning streak, however, defense has become one of the primary factors in their success.

Luka Doncic, LeBron James power Lakers’ surge

With a net rating of 113.1, the Lakers have ranked 10th in defense over the past nine games. During their winning streak, they have given up an average of 112.6 points per game. The Lakers’ recent success has been a team effort, but nothing has impacted their second-half surge more than the performances of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

More: Pistons’ Cade Cunningham could be out for extended period with collapsed lung

Since the trade that sent Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers in February 2025, it appears that he and James have finally found a way to play off each other. It is also worth noting that much of the Lakers’ streak has been due to Austin Reaves playing at an All-Star level, averaging 23.3 points and 6.0 assists over the last nine games.

“We assume that when you put talent on the floor, it is going to work automatically. But talent takes time to gel,” Bickerstaff said. “They have had time to gel and figure one another out. Two great playmakers like LeBron and Luka, learning how to pick their spots with one another, learning how to play off one another, how to make each other better, all of that stuff takes time — and I think you are seeing that now.”

For the first time in his career, James has taken the backseat to a teammate, which has allowed Doncic to play arguably the best basketball of his career. Doncic has been at the forefront of Los Angeles’ surge, averaging 40.0 points on .490%/.403%/.769% shooting splits. He scored 60 points in the Lakers’ victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night.

When the Lakers take the floor at Little Caesars Arena Monday night, however, Los Angeles may be without Doncic. He received his 16th technical foul of the season, which could result in a one-game suspension if the Lakers’ appeal is denied.

‘Not a ton of dropoff’ in LeBron James’ game

If the Lakers must play without Doncic, count on the 41-year-old James continuing to perform at a high level to keep Los Angeles competitive. Playing a lesser role this season has helped James stay productive in his 23rd NBA season, given that he has averaged 19.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists during the streak.

More: Pistons’ Ausar Thompson, benching and injury behind him, seeks return to form

“His basketball IQ is through the roof, but he is shooting the ball at a higher clip than he did earlier in his career, percentage-wise,” Bickerstaff said. “He still has the ability to get to the paint, play through contact. As amazing as it is, there is not a ton of dropoff from where his skill set is, as well as his ability to make people around him better.”

Without Cade Cunningham (pneumothorax) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain), the Pistons will continue to be significantly shorthanded against the Lakers. But despite playing without two of their most important players, the Pistons remain confident they can hand the Lakers their first loss in 19 days.

The Pistons have overcome their injury issues, winning six of their past seven games. They have been successful by cleaning up their post-All-Star slippage, getting back to the standard that once led them to win 13 consecutive wins, and establishing themselves among the league’s elite teams this season.

Lakers at Pistons

▶ Tip-off: 7 p.m. Monday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

▶ TV/radio: FDSN/97.1

▶ Outlook: Since Cade Cunningham has been out due to a collapsed lung, Daniss Jenkins has performed well in the absence of the All-NBA guard. While coming up just short of his first career triple-double in Friday’s win over the Golden State Warriors, Jenkins has averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds over the last two games.

coty.davis@detroitnews.com

@cotydavis_24

The Engine Room: Injury bug hits Pistons, Cade Cunningham

Coty Davis and Tarohn Finley take a look at the Pistons on verge of milestone 50th win Thursday.

DETROIT – Spring cleaning is underway, but a few quick home checks could save homeowners money this season. Simple fixes at windows, doors, the hot water tank and the furnace can improve comfort and energy efficiency without a major investment.

Windows are a top spot for drafts. Homeowners should seal gaps and crevices around frames with the right material for the gap size — foam, or adhesive V-seal strips are common choices. Proper weatherstripping can reduce cold-air infiltration and make homes more comfortable.

Doors often leak in corners and along thresholds. Installing corner blocks can block drafts that sneak in around frames and thresholds.

“Every little gap and crevice that all adds up,” Eric Douglas, project manager at SEEL.

Hot water tanks can lose efficiency because sediment settles near the burner, forcing the system to work harder and potentially shortening the tank’s life. Flushing the tank periodically removes buildup and can restore performance.

Regular furnace filter changes keep airflow steady and protect HVAC components. Douglas said filters should be replaced about every three months.

“You do all these little improvements, and it can make a big difference,” said Douglas.

A killer-for-hire is now a convicted liar-for-hire.

Confessed hit man Vincent Smothers, who is serving up to 100 years in prison for a string of contract murders, had more time added to his incarceration following recent convictions for lying to a court and possessing a contraband cellphone, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office.

In 2018, Smothers provided an affidavit to the Macomb County Circuit Court in which he lied about two shooting victims to help bolster another inmate’s claim that he’d shot the men in self-defense, Nessel said in a press release. The contraband cellphone, discovered in Smothers’ cell in May, uncovered the scheme, in which Smothers was paid to lie, Nessel said.

More: Nessel: Hit man Smothers, another inmate conspired on false testimony in 2007 murder

Smothers, 45, was sentenced Thursday in Muskegon County Circuit Court to 14 months to 58 months in prison for possessing a contraband cell phone. Smothers, an inmate in Freeland’s Saginaw Correctional Facility, was sentenced in Macomb County Circuit Court last month to one to 40 years for providing a false affidavit to a court, an offense that carries up to life in prison.

Smothers will serve the sentences consecutively — after his 50-year to 100-year second-degree murder sentence is completed — the Attorney General’s Office said. The recent sentences push Smothers’ earliest release date up two years to April 18, 2061.

“Providing false evidence undermines the hard work of the many police, prosecutors, judges, and jurors who work tirelessly to hold dangerous people accountable and make our communities safer,” Nessel said in a statement. “This conviction and sentence make clear that those who attempt to obstruct justice will face consequences, and my office will continue to defend the integrity of our criminal justice system with the full weight of the law.”

In 2010, Smothers was sentenced to 50 to 100 years in prison after pleading guilty to eight counts of second-degree murder. Smothers said he was paid by Detroit drug dealers to kill their rivals, although he also was contracted to kill Rose Cobb, the wife of Detroit Police Sgt. David Cobb, whom he fatally shot on Dec. 26, 2007, while she sat in her minivan in a CVS drugstore parking lot on East Jefferson.

In 2008, after being charged in connection with his wife’s killing, David Cobb killed himself.

A prison cellphone discovery kicks off Nessel’s investigation

In May, officials at the Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon County found a contraband cell phone in Smothers’ cell. The discovery kicked off the Attorney General’s investigation, Nessel said.

When authorities inspected the phone, they found communications between Smothers and Shannon Anderson, an inmate in another prison serving up to 40 years following his 2010 second-degree murder conviction. The text messages laid out a scheme in which Smothers was to be paid to lie about the shooting victims to make the killings appear to have been in self-defense, according to Nessel.

Smothers signed the affidavit in 2018, providing false details about the shooting, according to the attorney general. In February 2020, Anderson’s lawyer filed a motion requesting a new hearing based on new evidence — Smothers’ affidavit, Nessel said.

Anderson also was charged with obstruction of justice in Clinton Township’s 41-B District Court. An April 2 preliminary examination is scheduled before Chief Judge Sebastian Lucido. Shannon’s attorney, Mariell Lehman, did not respond Friday to a phone call requesting comment.