LOS ANGELES — The Detroit Pistons, fresh off of back-to-back road wins on the West Coast, looked as though they were going to make it three in a row.

They eliminated an early 12-2 deficit against the star-laden Los Angeles Clippers, and held the lead for most of the second quarter and all of the third. It was a balanced effort by the starters and reserves, with the latter being almost entirely new due to the Pistons' trade deadline moves.

But that momentum came to a halt in the fourth. Detroit's 12-point, late second-quarter lead was erased by the Clippers with 7:14 remaining in the game with a 3-pointer from Amir Coffey. The Pistons’ two-game winning streak was snapped, 112-106, at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

The Pistons shot just 4-for-18 as the Clippers built a double-digit lead, 107-94, with under 4 minutes to play after back-to-back 3-pointers by Paul George, who led all scorers with 33 points. An 8-0 Pistons run brought them back within five points, but the Clippers won the free-throw game down the stretch.

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Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 23 points, and Cade Cunningham (22 points, 10 assists) and Jalen Duren (10 points, 18 rebounds) both had double-doubles. Ausar Thompson had 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Three of Detroit’s trade deadline arrivals — Simone Fontecchio, Troy Brown Jr. and Shake Milton — made their Pistons debuts. Fontecchio was the most impressive, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes of action off the bench.

Brown and Milton had their moments as well. The former knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points in 19 minutes, and Milton scored four points in 12 minutes.

Fontecchio, new players immediately step up

Due to the timing of the trade deadline and Detroit’s road trip, none of the new players were able to get in a practice or shootaround before Saturday’s game. Williams had no choice but to lean on them with the roster in flux.

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“Simple is best when you’re trying to transition guys into your program,” Williams said before the game. “I see opportunities for all of those guys today, just because we’re down so many guys and the minutes get stressed. (Jaden Ivey) played 48 the other night. That’s not something that we want to make a habit of doing. But we won, so we’ll do what it takes to win the game. I could see moments for all of those guys tonight.”

Things didn't start smoothly for Fontecchio, a 6-foot-7 Italian forward. His first two possessions, after checking in midway through the first quarter, ended with a turnover and an airballed 3-pointer.

He found his groove afterward, though, knocking down his next 3 to cap a 12-2 Pistons run that tied the game at 14. Williams placed his trust in the new players early on. Brown and Milton also made their debuts in the opening period, and the trio closed out the quarter alongside Marcus Sasser and James Wiseman.

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Fontecchio and Brown each knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the first, helping Detroit rally from a 12-2 deficit and enter the second quarter trailing by a point. A steal and floater from Milton early in the second gave Detroit the lead, 32-31, and an off-the-dribble driving dunk by Fontecchio pushed the lead to three.

Defensively, Fontecchio and Brown stood out with their length and physicality. Fontecchio played more minutes in the second half than the first, and closed the third period with a steal and three-point play and driving layup to give Detroit a five-point advantage entering the fourth.

Both players are the types of 3-and-D wings the Pistons have desperately needed, and they impressed in their debuts.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Strong debuts for new Detroit Pistons not enough in loss to Clippers