Lakers battle to the end but fall to the Pistons, 102-97

Something clicked for D’Angelo Russell offensively Sunday, but as the rest of the starting group struggled to contribute, Russell’s impact didn’t lead to a win.

After two consecutive blowout losses, the Lakers were more competitive. Still, they fell to the Detroit Pistons, 102-97, at Staples Center.

Russell scored 20 points, 18 of them in the first three quarters, during which time he made nine of 15 shots. He also had seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and five turnovers.

“I say it’s just a mentality,” Russell said. “I’m taking what the defense gives me. They were all over a few of our sets that I was calling for other people, I just tried to take advantage of it when I saw the opening. … Yeah. I mean I feel like when my shot’s falling, it helps open up everything for everyone else because the ball’s in my hand when I come across half court. Defense has to worry about me and that’s when I can make a play for another person.”

Russell was the only Lakers starter to get into double figures. Luol Deng and Julius Randle each scored two points, and Timofey Mozgov and Nick Young each scored eight.

Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris led the Pistons with 23 points each, and center Andre Drummond had 17 rebounds.

Lou Williams led the Lakers with 26 points and Jordan Clarkson scored 16 points before suffering a sprained ankle.

The Lakers had a chance late, trailing by one point with less than a minute remaining. Rookie Brandon Ingram had a chance to tie the score at 96-96, with 1 minute 33 seconds remaining, but Ingram missed the second free throw.

In the final minute, Russell, who only played the final two minutes and 46 seconds of the fourth quarter, missed three three-point shots. Williams missed one and Young missed one. Overall, Russell made none of his five three-point attempts, but only two came before the game’s final minutes.

The Pistons offense wasn’t much more productive, but Harris made a three-pointer in front of the Lakers bench with 30 seconds left to give the Pistons a four-point lead.

Each of the first three quarters ended in buzzer-beating shots by the Pistons, the most dramatic to end the first half.

Drummond airballed a free throw with 2:37 left in the first half, but atoned shortly thereafter. He scored seven of the Pistons’ final nine points in the half. Three of them came on a 62-foot heave after a turnover by Russell.

The Pistons took a two-point lead into halftime, after having trailed by 14 points in the first quarter.

Before the game, Lakers Coach Luke Walton said he wanted to see energy and joy. He said he saw it early, but saw it wane in the second quarter. During the second quarter, the Lakers gave up 36 points.

As he often does, Walton expressed confidence that his team would solve this constant problem.

“We’ve got a young team here,” he said. “Playing, down the stretch we’re playing teenagers and 20-year-olds and 21-year-olds and this is a grown man’s league. Are we good enough to win? Absolutely we are. But it takes making mistakes.

“There’s no formula that tells you this is exactly when it happens. Different people get it at different times. Some people never get it, some people get it right away. I’m very confident that as a group we’re going to get it and our young guys are going to figure it out because of this type of feeling and going through this as a group. I think they’re gonna be a very tough team in the future.”

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

@taniaganguli