The Los Angeles Lakers will be hosting the Detroit Pistons after falling to the Memphis Grizzlies 89-86 on Friday. The Lakers went into the fourth quarter ahead by 3 and had their chance to win late in the game but could not take advantage. Jodie Meeks had a good game leading the team in scoring while Pau Gasol struggled from the field only hitting 4-12. Pau Gasol will have his hands full tonight with Andre Drummond who scored 15 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the win against the Kings. Josh Smith will also bring the Lakers problems with his athleticism and defense. The Pistons will be without their point guards Chauncey Billups and Will Bynum tonight. The Lakers look to avoid a three game losing streak against a Pistons team that has been having trouble winning on the road this season.
First Quarter
The Lakers came out a bit rusty missing their first few shot attempts and turning the ball over before getting on the scoreboard off an alley-oop made by Wesley Johnson. The Pistons came out strong scoring in the paint early. Jordan Hill continues to provide energy for the team with four quick points including an acrobatic layup. Pau Gasol gets a couple of jump shots to go down to give him four points. On defense, the Lakers are struggling to get back in transition and it leads to a dunk by Josh Smith. With a fast paced game Wesley Johnson gets another alley-oop to go down off a pass by Steve Blake. The Pistons continue to get points inside the paint with good ball movement and are shooting well from the three. Nick Young hit a mid range jumper and a layup off an assist by Blake to get them going on offense. Blake does a great job distributing the ball and has eight assists at the end of the quarter and the Lakers trail 29-27.
Second Quarter
The Pistons continue to shoot well from the three getting another one to go down to start the quarter off. The Lakers start off bad missing shots and turning the ball over finding themselves down by nine. Hill gets the first points of the quarter for the Lakers with a layup giving him six points in the game. The Lakers start to get going with Shawne Williams hitting a three, Xavier Henry attacking the basket and Hill working hard for offensive rebounds. The Pistons have cooled off a bit and the Lakers go on an 11-2 run with the bench players showing some athleticism. After some sloppy play from the Pistons the Lakers get a big three from Meeks. Pistons get a big play on their end with a pass from Jennings to Drummond leading to an alley-oop but the Lakers get another three, this time from Johnson. Both teams turn the ball over consecutively and the Lakers at this point have seven turnovers while the Pistons have 10. The Lakers get little careless on defense with Rodney Stucky hitting consecutive jump shots to give him 12 points to lead all scorers. The Lakers with turnovers and missed shots have a poor end to the half but are only down by 6.
Third Quarter
A nice start to the quarter with Pau Gasol getting his third block of the game and another alley-oop for Johnson off an assist by Blake. Gasol has been quiet since scoring in the first quarter but gets a jumper to go down and assist that gives Johnson 11 points. The Pistons are doing well pushing the ball and knocking shots down. Drummond and Greg Monroe are finding their way into the paint. The Lakers are struggling to get their rebounds on both ends and have missed their two 3-point attempts. A steal by Blake leads to an impressive alley-oop by Johnson, his fourth of the night. Blake has been doing a great job passing the ball and shows some nice offense driving in for a layup. The Lakers have found their rhythm on offense but cannot get stops on the defensive end. Sloppy play by both teams getting turnovers but the Lakers take advantage with Young hitting a layup off a pass by Gasol. Young gets the Lakers the lead hitting back to back threes. Farmar hits a difficult shot as time expires and Lakers finish the quarter on a 10-0 run. The Lakers lead the Pistons 79-71.
Fourth Quarter
The Lakers open up the quarter by continuing to play strong with Farmar hitting a step back jumper and dishing out a sweet pass to Hill for a dunk. On the defensive end the Lakers are playing well denying the Pistons on consecutive possessions. After sending Smith to the line, the Lakers have cooled off offensively missing a few jump shots. Blake comes off the bench to pick up where he left off getting a quick assist to give him 13. Hill continues to fight for inside as he has all game and gets his fourth offensive rebound to give him 16 total rebounds. The Lakers have taken control of the game with Gasol hitting a two and Williams hits a three. Meeks hits a couple of three pointers to push the Lakers lead up to 14 with under five minutes remaining in the game. Hill gets a shot to go down giving him 22 points, his career high. The Pistons have no answer with the Lakers dominating the game as Meeks hits another three. Lakers hold onto win with a 114-99 win.
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