The Los Angeles Lakers claimed their first home victory of the season Sunday night after defeating the Detroit Pistons, 97-85. Los Angeles had a stellar fourth quarter where it not only clicked on the offensive end, but also held the Pistons to just 19 points.
The Lakers got contributions from all of its players, anchored by Kobe Bryant’s near triple-double performance. However, Nick Young also made his mark on the game and thanks to his play on the defensive end, the Lakers snatched a much needed victory.
After the game, head coach Byron Scott spoke about Young and the impact the guard had on defense in the fourth quarter, via Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell:
Scott said Nick Young "did all the little things" defensively tonight, a reason he stayed on the floor in crunch time.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 16, 2015
Young finished the game with a plus/minus of +20 to go along with his 13 points. Los Angeles needs to have its bench players to play well if it wants to get back to .500. Although the Lakers have had some success against Eastern Conference opponents, they need consistency from the entire roster to make up ground in the West.
Los Angeles will try to get its first win versus a Western Conference foe tonight when they travels to Phoenix to play the Suns. The Suns will present many problems for the Lakers with their speed and athleticism, so a repeat of a dominant defensive performance will be needed to get the victory.