LOS ANGELES, Dec. 31 — Blowout games often end with a mutual agreement of non-aggression: the dribbling out of the shot clock. But on Tuesday night, as the Detroit Pistons put the finishing touches on a 128-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, rookie guard Daniss Jenkins offered a moment of baffling generosity to Bronny James.
As the final seconds ticked away at Crypto.com Arena, Jenkins found himself dribbling out the clock near midcourt. Instead of holding the ball to seal the win, Jenkins inexplicably rifled a pass directly toward Bronny, who was standing defensively nearby.
The Phantom Pass
The play caught everyone—including its intended recipient—completely off guard. Had Bronny been anticipating the gift, he would have secured an easy steal. Instead, the ball sailed past the surprised Lakers guard and bounced harmlessly away, resulting in a confusing turnover for Jenkins just as the buzzer sounded.
Daniss Jenkins randomly throws the ball at Bronny James at the end of the shot clock, in garbage time, catching Bronny off-guard pic.twitter.com/sF8AkPLJxm
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) December 31, 2025
The moment served as a strange punctuation mark on a tough night for Los Angeles. The Pistons, led by Cade Cunningham’s 27 points and 11 assists, controlled the game from the jump, spoiling LeBron James’ 41st birthday celebration.
A Quiet Night for the James Duo
While the final buzzer provided a moment of levity, the game itself offered little for the Lakers faithful to cheer about. Bronny James logged four minutes of action in “garbage time,” finishing with zero points on 0-for-1 shooting, though he did manage to dish out two assists.
This brings Bronny’s season totals to 18 games played with a scoring average of 1.6 points per game. While Tuesday’s “turnover assist” won’t show up in his highlight reel or the stat sheet, it added a layer of amusement to a game that had long since been decided.
Pistons Keep Rolling
For the Pistons, the bizarre finish didn’t dampen a stellar performance. The win moved Detroit to an impressive 25-8 record, cementing their status atop the Eastern Conference standings. Jenkins, despite the comical end-game gaffe, played his part in the closing minutes, recording a rebound and an assist in his own four-minute stint.
