NBA: LeBron James scores 33 in incident-free Los Angeles Lakers win over Detroit Pistons

LeBron James scored 33 points and kept his calm as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 110-106 without incident at the Staples Center on Sunday. The two sides met last Sunday in Detroit, where James was involved in an ugly altercation with Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart that resulted in both players being ejected from the game and handed suspensions. 

James was adjudged to have committed a Flagrant-2 foul and was ejected when he hit Stewart in the face when they jostled for a rebounding position. Stewart then earned his own ejection when he repeatedly charged at James in the aftermath of the incident. 

James was given a one-match suspension, while Stewart was suspended for two games. James was then warned for using profane language when talking about the suspension after the Lakers’ win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Stewart fanned the flames in the build-up to the rematch, saying he believes James’ blow was not accidental, as the four-time champion had claimed it was. 

The 20-year-old was booed constantly by Lakers fans at the Staples Center but there was no controversy this time, as both himself and James avoided any flare-ups. 

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Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook had 25 points and nine assists, and Anthony Davis added 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. They returned to .500 with their second win over Detroit in eight days.

Los Angeles once again failed to pull away from a struggling opponent, but still beat the Pistons at Staples Center for the fifth straight time.

Jerami Grant scored 32 points and No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham had 15 points and 11 rebounds in the Pistons’ sixth straight loss. Detroit followed up its 11-point loss to the Clippers at Staples Center on Friday by being more competitive against Los Angeles’ other team, but falling short again.

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Stewart had five points and six rebounds in 27 minutes in the rematch.

The Lakers pulled out to a 19-point lead in the third quarter with a 16-0 run, the most consecutive points they’ve scored this season. But Los Angeles has rarely sustained any significant stretch of good play this season, and the Pistons got to 97-91 with 5:48 left with a 13-2 run.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)