The Los Angeles Lakers look to get back in the win column Sunday night, facing the Detroit Pistons in their road trip finale. The Lakers have one win in their last six games on the road in Detroit. Their second consecutive win in Detroit came during the 2013-14 season.
After starting the season 2-10, the Lakers won eight of their next 10 but then dropped three games in a row going into Sunday. They are coming off an overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, the Pistons have the worst record in the league and have two wins in the last two weeks.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James will play after being listed as probable. Wenyon Gabriel is still out with a left shoulder sprain. Juan Toscano-Anderson, who started on Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors, is out with a right ankle sprain. Everyone else will be available for the Lakers, except for Cole Swider and Scottie Pippen Jr. who are with the South Bay Lakers.
For the Pistons, former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham will continue to be out with a shin issue. Cunningham’s injury has been listed as left shin soreness, however, some reports indicated it might be a stress fracture. Isaiah Livers is also listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.
Sunday’s meeting is the second one of the season between the Lakers and the Pistons. L.A. defeated Detroit 128-121 nearly a month ago at home. LeBron James missed that game with a groin issue, but Davis stepped up huge for the Lakers.
He had 38 points and 16 rebounds in the win, the second of four consecutive games with over 30 points and 15 rebounds. Davis had 16 points in the fourth quarter to push the Lakers over the top.
Even in the loss, the Pistons had seven players in double figures, one more than the Lakers. Alec Burks had his season-high 23 points off the bench on 60% shooting. Bojan Bogdanovic added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists.
But, the Pistons will look a little different in this matchup. Isaiah Stewart missed the first meeting and Jalen Duren was coming off the bench, instead of starting ahead of Marvin Bagley III. Duren has recorded a double-double in his last two games with extended minutes as a starter.
The Lakers shouldn’t expect to blow off the Pistons, a team that held its own against the Pelicans in a loss and beat the Heat and Mavericks in recent games. However, they also lost a game to the Knicks by 30 at home.
Struggling offensively at times in the last three games, Sunday night could pose as a bounce-back game for the Lakers. Detroit has the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA. They also are allowing opposing teams to shoot 37.5% from the 3-point line at home, a possible lifeline for a Laker team shooting a league-low 31.8% from deep per game.
L.A. plays the team with the best record in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, at home on Tuesday. Winning against the lowly Pistons could bring some positive momentum for the Lakers going into that matchup. However, a loss will be their fourth in a row and throws out all the momentum they were building a week ago.
Los Angeles Lakers (10-15) vs. Detroit Pistons (7-21)
3:00 p.m. PT, November 18, 2022
Little Caesars Arena
TV: Spectrum SportsNet,
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: Patrick Beverley
SF: Lonnie Walker IV
PF: LeBron James
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Russell Westbrook, Austin Reaves, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr., Kendrick Nunn
Projected Pistons Starting Lineup:
PG: Killian Hayes
SG: Jaden Ivey
SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
PF: Isaiah Stewart
C: Jalen Duren
Key Reserves: Alec Burks, Marvin Bagley III, Hamidou Diallo, Isaiah Livers, Kevin Knox
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