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The Detroit Pistons look to get back on track on Sunday night as they host the Los Angeles Lakers at Little Caesars Arena for a matchup between two top teams in their respective conferences.
Wednesday night’s rally against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers fell short for Detroit, and now the Pistons, at 6-2 overall, face another test against his former squad, the Los Angeles Lakers. Here’s a preview of Sunday night’s clash between the Pistons and the Lakers.
With LeBron now in the City of Brotherly Love, the Lakers are Luka Doncic’s team, and that has shown in Los Angeles's first ten games of the season. Doncic has led the Lakers in scoring in eight of their ten games this season and is coming off his best performance of the year in Los Angeles: a 124-118 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers, where he scored 53 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 17-of-33 shooting.
Doncic's start to the season has been remarkable, as through ten games he’s averaging 40.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists, MVP-type numbers for the former No. 3 overall pick out of Slovenia.
The Lakers' success on Sunday night against the Pistons starts and ends with Doncic. The Pistons could catch a break, as Doncic is currently a game-time decision with a back injury. Even if not available, the Pistons would still have to watch out for other Lakers contributors, including Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, who are more than capable of hurting Detroit defensively.
The Pistons pride themselves on being one of the NBA’s best defensive teams. After struggling on key possessions in their loss to the 76ers on Wednesday night, especially against Philadelphia’s starting five, Detroit looks to return to their bread and butter on Sunday night when they host one of the Western Conference’s top teams.
With Jalen Duren out, team chemistry has been the Pistons' strength, helping them earn key wins over top competition. In their loss to the 76ers, four Pistons players scored in double figures, including Duncan Robinson (27 points), Cade Cunningham (26 points), John Collins (16 points), and Ausar Thompson (11 points). It was the Pistons bench, however, that is looking for more production on Sunday night against the Lakers.
Look for players like Paul Reed and Daniss Jenkins to get more involved on Sunday night against the Lakers, two contributors who have the potential to be x-factor's in the Pistons making a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pistons are primed to be the No. 1 seed in a loaded Eastern Conference and attempt to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2005.
Jalen Duren is set to miss at least another two weeks with a hamstring strain that he suffered in the Pistons win over the Miami Heat in South Beach on Oct. 23. Here's a look at the injury reports for both the Pistons and Lakers ahead of Sunday night's game.
The Pistons and Lakers will tip off from LCA at 6 p.m. ET, with the game broadcast on NBATV. It’ll be the first of two regular-season meetings this year between the Pistons and Lakers, the other being on Jan. 8 in Los Angeles.
As for who wins this game, with or without Luka, the Pistons, who have yet to lose back-to-back games this season, will earn a deserving bounce-back win in front of their home crowd at LCA.
Make it: Pistons 111, Lakers 103
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