Sun. 1/29 @ Pistons - Results Inside - Postgame comments

Lakers @ Pistons
Sunday, Jan. 29
3:30pm
TV: ESPN, KCAL
Radio : XTRA 570/ESPN 1330
Recap | Box Score | Photos

Lakers - 93
Pistons - 102

Road Trip Off to Rocky Start
Even another impressive game from Kobe Bryant wasn't enough Sunday as the Lakers opened a seven-game road trip with a 102-93 loss at NBA-leading Detroit. Bryant scored a game-high 39 points and Chris Mihm added 16 and a season-high 14 rebounds. Los Angeles, which lost for only the fourth time in 12 games, continues the trip Tuesday against New York.



Post all your comments here...

nameant wrote::scurred:

same here....but hey, we play good D against good teams, and you never know when kobe will go off.....

Lakers should get their butt handed to 'em in this game -- They have no absolute chance!

anti-jinx

If Kobe pulls some heroics we have a slight chance.

I'm scared!

I think the best defenese I've ever seen played on Kobe was by Tayshaun Prince. If Prince really locks down on Kobe, it's going to be a long night.

REAL LONG NIGHT

GO LAKERS

The one I'm really worried about becoming too reclusive is Lamar. He needs a big game for us to have a chance. Ofcourse as I say that I know a single digit mulit-turnover game for #7 is more than likely. I look for Smush to get hot. Cook needs to brought it early and Mihm needs to stay out of foul trouble. Kobe knows what he needs to do. The Pistons can be beat. But it takes total team effort. And I think we have to get hot from 3 and the charity strike. Pistons own the paint.

Danny Ainge wrote:The one I'm really worried about becoming too reclusive is Lamar. He needs a big game for us to have a chance. Ofcourse as I say that I know a single digit mulit-turnover game for #7 is more than likely. I look for Smush to get hot. Cook needs to brought it early and Mihm needs to stay out of foul trouble. Kobe knows what he needs to do. The Pistons can be beat. But it takes total team effort. And I think we have to get hot from 3 and the charity strike. Pistons own the paint.

good luck with that. The next time Lamar delivers in a big game is his first.

Billups will smoke Smush. Prince will slow Kobe down. Ì do not have too much confidence in Kobe´s defense either against Hamilton. I reall don´t expect a win b any streatch of imagination. Its too hard to even imagine.

kobe never really have a good game in palace of auburn hills. but at sunday he will ! lol. kobe = 42 pts.

GO LAKERS!!!!!!!

We are goin' to win...big time!


Tryin' to stay positive

Please Read careful !!!
If Tay-Prince can't stop Kobe, we will win

Lakers walk into the palace, Kobe remembers what happened the last time he played there and consequently. HE GO'S OFF!!!!!!!

I swear, Prince better get some rest because Kobe is going to murder him.

Tru dat man I'm so sure Kobe is gonna be thinking about people sayin that Prince is a GREAT defender and shuts down the best players and he'll just say "All right" and hes gonna light it up...

I expect Kobe to score over 35pts and his FG's are gonna 40% and up... Lakers will lose by less than 8pts....

All team not just only Kobe must shoot lights out if want to beat Detroit in their building.

Los Angeles Lakers (23-19) @ Detroit Pistons (36-5)

Date: Sunday, January 29th
Time: 6:30 PM EST
TV: ESPN

Previous Games
Warriors @ Lakers 106-105 OT (WIN) Box Score
Grizzlies @ Pistons 95-89 (WIN) Box Score

Projected Starting Five



Coach Phil Jackson

C - Chris Mihm (10.3 PPG on 51% shooting, 6.7 RPG, 0.9 APG)
PF - Kwame Brown (6.1 PPG on 47% shooting, 6.0 RPG, 0.9 APG)
SF - Lamar Odom (14.3 PPG on 46% shooting, 9.4 RPG, 5.5 APG)
SG - Kobe Bryant (35.8 PPG on 45% shooting, 5.6 RPG, 4.4 APG)
PG - Smush Parker (11.6 PPG on 46% shooting, 3.1 RPG, 3.1 APG)




Coach Flip Saunders

C - Ben Wallace (8.2 PPG on 50% shooting, 12.4 RPG, 2.0 APG)
PF - Rasheed Wallace (15.1 PPG on 45% shooting, 6.7 RPG, 2.5 APG)
SF - Tayshaun Prince (14.2 PPG on 45% shooting, 4.5 RPG, 2.3 APG)
SG - Richard Hamilton (21.7 PPG on 51% shooting, 3.3 RPG, 3.3 APG)
PG - Chauncey Billups (19.5 PPG on 43% shooting, 3.2 RPG, 8.6 APG)

Who's That?


Sasha Vujacic
Predicted Stats: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

Antonio McDyess
Predicted Stats: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists

Who Got Game?


Kobe Bryant
Predicted Stats: 36 points on 46% shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

Chauncey Billups
Predicted Stats: 28 points on 49% shooting, 3 rebounds, 9 assists

Tale of the Tape
Season Meetings: Lakers 0, Pistons 0
Last 10 games: Lakers 7-3, Pistons 10-0
Division Standings: Lakers 3rd, Pistons 1st
Conference Standings: Lakers 7th seed, Pistons 1st seed
Streaks: Lakers 2 wins, Pistons 10 wins

Analysis
Looking at the last ten games, you could say both teams are pretty hot in the month of January. Okay...so the Pistons are burning hot, and the Lakers (coughKobecough) are slowly adding distance between their current record and a mediocre .500 record they were holding earlier this season. What you may find interesting is that Detroit's last loss was at home, against Utah (second loss to the Jazz, by the way) where Sloan's squad outrebounded them by 15 boards, yet turned the ball over seven more times. Interesting enough, the rebounds came off misses not from Ben Wallace or Sheed, but mostly from Billups and Hamilton. Both shot near 33%, and the entire team managed a terrible 36% total from the field. Ugly.

Let's not be too positive, though...the Pistons are the best team in the NBA right now, and who knows, they could be one of the best teams in the history of the league by May. If they can hit 72+ wins and win the NBA title, there's no question about it. What makes the Pistons so dangerous this season is their new coach, Flip Saunders, who has slapped this squad with an offensive strategy to tag team with their already-feared defensive schemes. If Billups isn't killing you from the perimeter, Rip will handle you mid-range...or Sheed from wherever he wants, with Prince attacking the basket, and Big Ben denying your easy layups. This starting five is just nasty.

Kobe followed his 81-point blasting of the Raptors with a disappointing, yet refreshing 30-point win against Golden State Friday night. In the first three quarters, Kobe gave us a shocking five points on 2-12 shooting. Surprised? Weren't we all? However, in the fourth, he gathered up 16 points to total 21, and sent the game into overtime. If that wasn't enough, he racked up nine in the OT, winning the game with two free throws. It wasn't pretty at all, but hey...a win is a win, and the Lakers are doing just that, with Kobe still averaging 44 points a game in the month of January. In this month, the Lakers are 8-5, but with Kobe in the lineup, they are an impressive 8-3. Go figure.

For Los Angeles to win this game, they are going to need Jesus. That's right...the MAN himself. I don't know if he's a Laker fan or just a casual NBA fan, but if there's any way he can drop in and give us 30 tonight, we could very well pull away with a victory. The truth is, we are going to get our brains beat in if Kobe isn't playing well. In fact, he could drop 50 tonight, and the Lakers could still lose by double-digits. Phil needs to keep our big men in the game for as long as possible, and stick Bynum out there every once in a blue moon to play Darko or McDyess, and maybe even Big Ben. We need to play our most impressive defense yet, because we know we can probably outscore Detroit any other day of the week, but when they are locking teams down, they can hold about anyone to under 70 points (just ask the Spurs).

Prediction
The game against Detroit won't be about team basketball...simply because even if we did have a team, the Pistons wouldn't allow us to use the rest of our players. Kobe will get his because his blood is ice cold in January, and he's coming off one of his worst games of the year (even though he won the game). If we are going to win this, Kobe needs 40+ and Odom needs 20, with a near triple double...with the Pistons being held to under 90 points. Fat chance...but not impossible, since the Jazz and Cavs own 3 total wins over Detroit to date, with the Wizards and Mavs being the other two. Pistons either win this game, 98-79...or the Lakers suit up Jesus, and win 89-87.

You know what is crazy about this game, Kobe can score 101 points, and we would still lose.

As long as everyone gives it their all, we keep it close, and lose in by less than 10; I'm happy. I don't expect a W in this one and we won't get one.

forget this one. Unless god PROVES he is aLaker fan we do not have the slightest of chances to even stay in the game after 3 quarters.
Our defense is horrid, Detroit at home is beating teams by an average of about 15-20. Something like 106-87 or something. We will get our butt kicked and go o the next game. We need Kwame to have a 20/10 and Odom to have a triple double and Kobe to get his 50 on 50% shooting. well then we have a chance.

if the jazz can beat the pistons, why can't we?

last time kobe played the pistons, kobe had 20 points on 6-12 shooting and 11 assists, and we still lost 90-111

^ that was the only time kobe played detroit ever since 2004 Finals game 5

scheven wrote:if the jazz can beat the pistons, why can't we?

exactly...it seems that everyone forgets that this is sports. ANYTHING can happen.