Lakers at Pistons
The Los Angeles Lakers finished off an otherwise difficult homestand on a positive note, something Detroit will try to do when it welcomes the Lakers to town Tuesday. Los Angeles dropped the first three games of its four-game homestand before riding Kobe Bryant's 20th career triple-double to a 129-122 overtime win against Toronto on Sunday. Bryant turned back the clock to produce 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who now play nine of their next 13 on the road.
The Pistons have also started a four-game homestand with three straight losses and have dropped eight in a row overall. Even with guard Brandon Jennings back from a thumb injury and scoring 22 points, Detroit was upended by Golden State 104-93 on Sunday, marking the ninth consecutive game the Pistons have been held under 100 points. Los Angeles has won the last four meetings overall and has claimed four of the last five meetings in Detroit.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles), FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE LAKERS (4-13): Bryant stressed after the overtime win that his job is that much easier when his teammates are knocking down shots, meaning he does not need to force the issue. The rest of the Lakers shot a combined 50 percent from the floor, including 10-of-23 from 3-point range, and six of them finished in double figures alongside Bryant, who remains atop the leaderboard with 26.6 points per game. After shooting 43.1 percent and making 8-of-25 3-pointers in his first five games since returning from a thumb injury, forward Nick Young is averaging 18 points on 52.2 percent with a 6-of-11 showing from beyond the arc over the last two contests.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (3-14): Head coach Stan Van Gundy decided to go small against the Warriors, moving power forward Greg Monroe to the bench in favor of Kyle Singler, but there wasn't much difference and Van Gundy was unsure if the experiment would continue. "I don't have any idea," he told reporters. "Look, when you're 3-14, it's not like you're happy with the lineup." The NBA's worst-shooting team (41.2) entering Monday's action finished 36.3 percent from the floor versus Golden State and has averaged 90.1 points during the losing streak.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bryant on Sunday became the first player in NBA history with 30,000 points and 6,000 assists and is now 139 points shy of Michael Jordan for third place on the all-time scoring list.
2. Pistons G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is averaging 20.3 points over a three-game span after posting a 7.5 average over the previous six contests.
3. Detroit's losing streak is its longest since a nine-game slide two seasons ago.