Lakers vs. Pistons Final Score: Lakers dominate Pistons in front of LeBron James 101-78

LeBron James made his first public appearance since signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, and they treated him to a blowout, 101-78 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Josh Hart was once again the best player on the court from start to finish as Los Angeles easily beat the Pistons from buzzer-to-buzzer, hitting the first three of the game and never looking back. Any nerves the Lakers might have had due to the playoffs or James’ presence didn’t show up on the court, where the team started the game on a 14-3 run in the first quarter that was plenty to open up a gap and keep it going for the entirety of the game.

Hart would finish with 18 points on 6-12 shooting (1-5 from three). He was not, however, the game’s leading scorer.

Svi Mykhailiuk led the Lakers in that category, finishing with 19 points on 7-15 shooting (2-5 from three). He had a couple plays that caught the Las Vegas crowd by surprise with some sweet footwork and finishing at the rim.

The Lakers finished the first two quarters on buzzer-beaters. First, Nick King just kind of shot one from the hip as time expired, and then heading to halftime, Alex Caruso converted a four-point play that had LeBron dancing on the baseline.

Outside of Hart and Mykhailiuk, the Lakers used a balanced effort to send the team into the semifinals and the Pistons home. James was joined for this game by Brandon Ingram, offering one of the cooler moments of summer league.

With their win, the Lakers will advance to the Las Vegas Summer League semifinals on Monday, July 16 at 5:30 p.m. PST at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, where they will take on James’ old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.