The Pistons’ infamous season goes on. They have now lost more games in a row during a single campaign than any other team in franchise history.

With a season-high 35 points from D’Angelo Russell and 28 points and 16 rebounds from Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Detroit 103-107 on Wednesday, the 15th consecutive game the Pistons have lost. On another gloomy evening in the Motor City, Cade Cunningham led the team in scoring with fifteen points.

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The losing run, which started on October 30 with a 12-point defeat in Oklahoma City, is only six games short of the 21-game skid the Pistons experienced between two seasons, or around 43 years ago. Detroit, which has the lowest record in the NBA (2-16), plays Cleveland at home on Saturday after returning to Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

Before the game, Pistons coach Monty Williams said, “I think it’s human nature – when you’re winning, you focus on the winning, and when you’re losing (that’s your) focus, it’s just the way it is.” We make an effort to balance that emphasis with constantly doing the correct thing. And I believe that consistency and playing the appropriate things throughout the course of a game are what every young team or young player strives to achieve on a daily basis.

LeBron James, who stated that “a lot” needed to change on his team following a 44-point loss to the Sixers on Monday, scored 25 points and pulled down 8 rebounds in just 29 minutes for the Lakers. Before Wednesday’s game, his coach, Darvin Ham, walked into the press room sporting a recently cropped beard.

Ham deadpanned, “Yeah man, just following LeBron’s orders – had to change my face.” “I assumed he was referring to my facial hair.”

On Monday, LeBron had reluctant to provide specifics about what he believed ought to be changed. Moments had passed since the Lakers’ handily worst loss of the season and their most lopsided loss in his 21-year tenure.

According to Ham, the Lakers didn’t confront the catastrophe in Philadelphia until Wednesday morning, when they held a positive, constructive film session and Ham gave a major speech in which he reassured his players that their season was not defined by one poor night in Philadelphia.

For example, the Lakers advanced to the quarterfinals of the In Season Tournament with a 4-0 record and will host Phoenix on Tuesday. Despite having a mere 11-8 record overall, Los Angeles has had injuries throughout the season, missing much of it with backup point guard Gabe Vincent and starter guard Jarred Vanderbilt. Cam Reddish made a comeback on Wednesday after missing the previous three games due to minor leg issues, but Rui Hachimura is still out with a broken nose.

Cunningham is enjoying career highs in points, shots, and assists early in this campaign, but, the Pistons are starting two players (Jalen Duren, rookie Ausar Thompson) who are younger than his 22 years. The average age of Detroit’s starters is 21.5 years – the youngest in the league – and overall the Pistons’ roster is the NBA’s third youngest. They entered play against the Lakers with the league’s 27th-ranked offense and 23rd defense. They shoot the fewest 3s in the league and only five teams make a lower percentage of their 3s than the Pistons.

Detroit’s booklet for media stats, easily one of the most comprehensive in the NBA, includes an item that says the Pistons have traveled the second-farthest distance on the court this season, a measurement of the miles their players have run during games.

They’ve gone a long way, certainly, but in which direction?