Pistons spoil LeBron's 41st birthday

LeBron James scored 17 points on his 41st birthday, but Cade Cunningham had 27 points and 11 assists while leading the Detroit Pistons to a 128-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, Dec. 30.

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DETROIT's Cade Cunningham (left) shoots while being guarded by Los Angeles defenders Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes. (AP)

James hit three 3-pointers and added four assists and four rebounds in the 1,577th regular-season game of his unprecedented 23rd season, but he spent the final minutes of his birthday game sitting with his arms folded on the bench while watching the conclusion of the Lakers' fourth loss in five games.

The top scorer in league history is the 12th player to appear in an NBA game at 41 or older — just the sixth in this century.

Marcus Sasser scored a season-high 19 points and Isaiah Stewart had 15 for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, who snapped their two-game skid to finish 3-2 on their West Coast trip.

Detroit won its third straight meeting with the Lakers despite losing third-leading scorer Tobias Harris to a left hip sprain in the first quarter.