Los Angeles Lakers (4-13) at Detroit Pistons (3-14) 4:30 PM Pacific Fresh off a victory over the Toronto Raptors the Lakers look to continue their strong play against Eastern Conference teams. The Lakers have won all three of their contests against the East. Meanwhile they are 1-13 vs. the West. The Lakers have a solid chance at a win tonight when they square off against the floundering Detroit Pistons. In two head-to-head wins last season the Lakers outscored the Pistons by a total of 21 points. The Lakers were led by Wes Johnson's 20.0 points and 2.5 blocks per game. Nick Young added 15.5 points off the bench as the Lakers connected on threes at a ridiculous rate. The Pistons received a balanced effort from Josh Smith (13.5/13.5), Greg Monroe (18.0, 7.5), and Andre Drummond (13.5, 12.0), but Brandon Jennings led the way with 21.0 points and 11.5 assists. In fact, so well balanced was the Pistons' effort that it was perhaps only the 24 threes (12.0 per game) the Lakers connected on that paved the way to the win. The Lakers will struggle to meet that number, as they are averaging less than half that (5.5 threes per game). LA might not get much help from Kobe, as the Mamba has averaged 16.5-6.5-5.0 in his last two against Detroit. Projection Lakers 107 Pistons 106 Photo: Reuters
My projection numbers are REALLY close - within 1/2 a point, but the Lakers are higher. That said, I wonder if they're bolstered by beating a DD-less Raptors team - just a bit.
