Lakers at Pistons
THE STORY: The Los Angeles Lakers have come out of the All-Star break on fire, with Kobe Bryant leading the way. Bryant, who is playing with a mask to protect a broken nose suffered in the All-Star Game, is averaging 34 points in three straight wins. The Lakers made a statement Sunday with a win over the Miami Heat and will play five of their next six on the road. That starts Tuesday with the Detroit Pistons, who have dropped four of their last five. The Pistons have struggled to score in the half court against strong defensive teams.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, KCAL (Lakers), FS Detroit (Pistons)
ABOUT THE LAKERS (23-14): Bryant shot 61 percent from the floor en route to 33 points against the Heat on Sunday as Los Angeles cruised to a 93-83 victory. After allowing 107 points in a win over the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers found their groove on defense and held Miami to less than 38 percent shooting. Los Angeles leads the NBA in rebounding thanks to Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol on the inside and it has also begun to get solid contributions from Metta World Peace. The mercurial forward recorded 17 points and seven rebounds Sunday and has scored at least 15 points in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (12-26): Detroit’s lone win in the last five games came against NBA-worst Charlotte on Wednesday. When faced with solid defensive teams such as Memphis and Philadelphia, the Pistons have been unable to get their offense going. They matched a season-low point total in 97-68 loss to the 76ers on Feb. 28 and were outscored 31-13 in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 100-83 loss to the Grizzlies. Detroit has been stronger at home, owning a 9-11 mark at the Palace at Auburn Hills against a 3-15 record on the road.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Lakers assistant coach John Kuester was fired as coach of the Pistons after last season.
2. Bryant has averaged 23.8 points in 27 career games against Detroit.
3. The Lakers have taken five straight in the series by an average of 15.6 points.