Pistons at Lakers
The Detroit Pistons will try to end their longest road trip of the season on a winning note when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday for a matchup between teams looking to snap three-game slides. The Pistons opened their five-game trek with a dramatic double-overtime win at Portland but have offered little resistance ever since, dropping three in a row by an average of 19.7 points.
Friday's 110-77 setback at Utah was Detroit's most lopsided since March and has the squad searching for answers. "We can't stop anybody, we just can't," coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters. "For the first 21 games, we were the second-best defensive team in the league, and now we are one of the worst. I am frustrated not with our players, I am frustrated with myself that I can't figure this out. We literally can't stop anyone, ever." The Lakers have had similar issues during their slide, allowing opponents to average 118.3 points and win by 25.7. They permitted the Los Angeles Clippers to shoot 52.2 percent in Saturday's 113-97 defeat at Staples Center.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, Spectrum Sportsnet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (18-24): Friday's loss came without shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has a rotator cuff strain and is doubtful for the game against the Lakers. The injury came at a bad time for Caldwell-Pope, who reached the 20-point mark in back-to-back games before suffering the injury Thursday at Golden State, and fellow starter Jon Leuer also is out with a knee issue but could return soon. Since opening the trip with 31 points at Portland, point guard Reggie Jackson is averaging 13.3 and just 2.7 assists - roughly half his season average.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (15-29): Los Angeles utilized its 14th different starting lineup Saturday, inserting leading scorer Louis Williams into the starting lineup for the first time. Williams led the starters in the scoring column, but with only 13 points as fellow guards D'Angelo Russell and Nick Young combined for 16 on 5-of-16 shooting. Veteran forward Luol Deng sat out the contest against the Clippers to rest while reserve guard Jordan Clarkson broke out for 21 points in 28 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Lakers have won five straight meetings at home.
2. Pistons C Andre Drummond is averaging 13.8 rebounds and shooting 68.4 percent over his last four games.
3. Russell is 9-of-34 from the field during the Lakers' three-game slide.