LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers’ road loss to the Detroit Pistons in early November served as a cautionary tale of what could go wrong if they didn’t have the right mentality.

Feeling unprepared for the Pistons’ power, speed and athleticism, the Lakers let Detroit push them around before Los Angeles’ late comeback attempt failed late in the game. It was the first time this season that the Lakers felt outplayed and overwhelmed by a supposedly inferior opponent.

On Monday, the Lakers had their highly anticipated return game with the Pistons, almost two months later. They were prepared – or so they said. But their 117-114 loss, which dropped them to 16-13 and seventh place in the Western Conference, highlighted many of the same problems from the previous matchup. They were too slow, too small and too passive.

Los Angeles struggled to handle Detroit’s ball pressure, aggressiveness and activity in the passing lanes, leading to 20 turnovers by the Lakers. The Pistons took advantage of many of the mistakes, scoring 28 points from those mistakes and attempting 18 more shots.

““It’s very hard to win in this league when you give the other team (18) more chances to score than you do,” said coach JJ Redick. “That’s it. It’s hard to win.”

Austin Reaves, who led the team with six turnovers (twice as many as Anthony Davis, who was second with three) and was robbed in the backcourt, took responsibility for his mistakes.

“They’re a really aggressive defensive team, and I personally didn’t handle that well,” Reaves said.

Turnovers haven’t often been a problem for the Lakers this season. They rank eighth in turnovers per game and eighth in turnover percentage. The offense has generally been better organized under Redick, although it has slipped in recent weeks.

But in the Lakers’ five 20-plus turnover games this season, three of which have come in the last five games, there is a clear through line: They have faced athletic, physical opponents, including the Minnesota Timberwolves (twice) and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Lakers don’t do well with ball pressure, ball length and athleticism at the rim, which brings up two of the needs the group has identified internally (like The athlete reported last week): a big 3-and-D wing and a quick, athletic guard. Any of these player archetypes would have helped against Detroit, which posed matchup issues with its backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

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Cunningham was too big for guys like Max Christie, Reaves and Cam Reddish, bumping them with his shoulder to make room for jumpers or on the way to a finish in the paint. He had 20 points (albeit on 25 shots) and 10 assists. Ivey was an opaque player in transition and off the dribble in half-court actions, easily firing past Reaves, Christie and Gabe Vincent. He added 18 points.

There was also a certain lack of seriousness in the Lakers’ performance, which can be a bad habit when they’re scoring points or the shots aren’t falling.

The ball wasn’t simply kicked away from them or intercepted. Davis dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds. Reddish threw an outlet pass that went straight to Malik Beasley at the 3-point line, giving the sharpshooter a wide-open 3-pointer.

The Pistons scored 24 more points in the paint and attempted 24 more shots in the paint, both numbers that reflect how often they both got out in transition (partly due to Los Angeles’ turnovers) and were able to thwart the Lakers’ defense to break half court.

The turnovers and missed free throws (five total, four by Davis) negated the Lakers’ good performance. They shot over 54 percent from the floor and made 14 three-pointers (at nearly 47 percent). They got to the free throw line 25 times, a credit to both their downhill propensity and the Pistons’ physical defensive system.

James posted his eighth triple-double of the season (28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists) in one of his most efficient performances (10 of 16 shooting, 6 of 7 free throws and just two turnovers).

The next game the Lakers play will be their 30th of the season — the mark that Rob Pelinka, vice president of basketball operations and general manager, said he wanted to wait to evaluate the team. The Pistons’ loss was a reminder that they need more athletic and physical players who can compete in such matchups. And James suggested that the Lakers can’t just change their physicality on their own.

“We have to be stronger. That’s all,” James said. “…We have to do it as a team. We have to help the boys open up. When guys are putting pressure on the ball, you have to help guys shield better. You have to screen better. …You have to use your triple threat (position). When you have a live dribble, lift the guys off of you.

“But it’s not something you can learn. You don’t learn to be more physical. Either it’s in you or it’s not.”

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(Photo of Cade Cunningham and LeBron James: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)