The Los Angeles Lakers’ pursuit of the Western Conference’s top tier hit a significant roadblock Monday night as their nine-game winning streak came to a grinding halt at Little Caesars Arena. Following a narrow 113-110 loss to the Detroit Pistons, JJ Redick had an instant analysis of what went wrong tonight. The rematch against the Pistons was physical, and the shorthanded Lakers lacked the key cheat code to counter it.

After presiding over one of the most successful stretches the Lakers have had in recent memory, JJ Redick did not mince words regarding the primary reason for the defeat. He pointed directly to the empty spot in the rotation usually occupied by defensive anchor Marcus Smart.

“Not having Smart tonight killed us,” Redick told reporters post-game. But his statement regarding the 2022 DPOY reflected a wider problem the Lakers have had all season.

“That’s important for us, that we can get healthy and we can play our rotation. The way our team works, you know, you need Smart for his ball handling, you need Smart for his defense… those pieces are important to complement everybody.”

Redick noted that the team’s recent surge had coincided perfectly with a rare window of full health, a luxury that evaporated Monday as both Smart and Rui Hachimura were late scratches.

Smart was ruled out with an ankle injury. Hachimura has a sore right calf. The team is taking it day-to-day with them for now.

As JJ Redick pointed out, the team is naturally great when Smart is available. LA has a 111.9 defensive rating and a plus-8.3 net rating with Smart on the floor this season. He’s crucial on both ends of the floor to let Luka Doncic put up MVP numbers consistently.

But the void Smart left was not filled. Even his teammates couldn’t deny that were defenseless without him.

Marcus Smart’s absence hurt his teammates

Lakers guard Austin Reaves echoed his coach’s sentiment, emphasizing the intangible “glue” that Smart provides. “Marcus is a huge glue guy for us. As everybody knows, the way he plays, unselfish, guards every team’s best player,” Reaves saidin the visitor’s locker room.

“When you don’t have that, it sucks. But it’s a next-man-up mentality. I’m sure if he was able to play, he would’ve been out there. He’s a competitor.” The loss of that competitive edge was palpable as Detroit’s backcourt found lanes that had been closed off during the Lakers’ multi-week unbeaten run.

The Lakers (45-27) entered the contest as heavy favorites, but the absence of Smart’s perimeter pressure allowed Detroit’s Daniss Jenkins to exploit it. Jenkins has been the Pistons’ lifesaver after Cade Cunningham’s collapsed left lung sidelined him and tonight that showed.

Jenkins took on Luka Doncic, scored Detroit’s final six points, and clinched the game when the Lakers were close to turning it around in the fourth. He finished with a career-high 30 points and eight assists, with efficient scorng all around. Doncic’s 32 points came off 11-of-29 from the field, three out of 13 3-point attempts, and 7-of-8 free throws.

The most glaring lapse on the Lakers’ side was LeBron James’ scoreless first half and Doncic’s scoreless second quarter after 17 points in the start. The physical matchup was unparalleled, with too many clips online of Austin Reaves getting shoved around.

It was a poor shooting night for the Lakers all around when they don’t have Marcus Smart holding the opponent back.

The Lakers are facing Indiana next right after Pacers legend Reggie Miller underlined Marcus Smart as the key player to Lakers’ success. While he probably wants Smart back soon, Redick is not letting the end of a long winning streak deter him. “We saw flashes of it. We saw short stretches of it, but we were a good basketball team,” Redick reflected. “We need to finish the season strong, but we also need to finish the season healthy.”

With only a handful of games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers know now what they need to survive. The focus now will remain on ensuring key players like Marcus Smart come back healthy.