LeBron James: Lakers Took Criticism 'to Heart' vs. Pistons After Calling For Change

Fresh off the worst loss of his professional career, LeBron James scored 25 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers rebound for a 133-107 win over the Detroit Pistons.

James told reporters the Lakers took criticism to "heart" after their ugly loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday and came out motivated.

"I think we responded well and we played a lot better," James said. "We gave ourselves a better chance defensively. We got out to a lot of their shooters that we thought could make shots from the perimeter, but we also controlled the paint. And, you know, that was very key.

"We just took constructive criticism, and we took it to heart and then we applied it to the game."

Of course, it's a little easier to rebound when you're playing a Detroit team that has been a doormat this season. The Pistons currently sits an NBA-worst 2-16, and Wednesday was their 15th straight loss. If the Lakers didn't come out firing on all cylinders, it might have been cause for panic.

It's been an inconsistent first quarter of the season for the Lakers, who are 11-8 and are seemingly a different team every night they show up to the arena. There are some when they look like a true championship contender and others—like the loss in Philadelphia—where it looks like they need to tear the whole thing down to the spokes.

"What needs to change in order for that not to happen again? Um, a lot," a frustrated James told reporters after the loss to the Sixers.

The Western Conference is far more wide-open than the top-heavy East, but James needs his team to heed the "criticism" and find consistency moving forward.