NBA: Detroit Pistons vs. LA Lakers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Detroit Pistons continue their stay in LA, but they meet the Lakers this time. To be honest, we’ve expected more from the Pistons this year, though it appears that they can’t find a proper rhythm and start developing as planned. Talking about disappointments, the Lakers are the biggest in the league. The purple and gold are near the bottom of the West, instead of fighting for the playoff spot, a higher one.

Preview

Detroit Pistons (3-13, +225) have five straight losses, three of them on the road, and seven away from home this year in total. This is the second of their back-to-back nights, with the Pistons playing against the LA Clippers on Thursday, and losing that one, 96-91.

The Pistons were up until the fourth period, once the hosts took over and managed to rally to beat the rivals. Without Cade Cunningham, this was the best possible display the Pistons could provide, and also, we need to add that Isaiah Stewart didn’t play as well.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 26 points, 10-for-18, and the Croat is doing his part of the job this season perfectly, without any remark. It is a pity that the Pistons don’t have a bit better team because Bogdanovic deserves that. Jaden Ivey had 18 buckets, and Saddiq Bay 11. The bench was terrible, with 27 points in total, and this is by far the thinnest part of the Pistons’ unit.

LA Lakers (3-10, -250) is in the worst possible position right now, not anywhere near the playoffs, and what is more important, without a philosophy and an approach that could suggest that there is still some fire in this team.

Two nights ago, they beat the Nets, 116-103, looking solid. The motivation was high among the purple and gold, but as we could see so far, that is only occasionally, and with such attitude, they won’t reach the postseason.

Anthony Davis scored a season-high 37 points with 18 boards, destroying the Nets’ players under the rim. Lonnie Walker IV had 25, while Austin Reaves dropped 15. Russell Westbrook is pushing his bid for the Sixth Man of the Year award, and he had 14 points, 12 dimes and six boards in 28 minutes off the bench.

Head to Head Games

The rivalry between these two teams dates way back to the Bad Boys Era. Though in the near past the Lakers are better than the Pistons. Currently, they have three wins in a row, triumphing in both meetings last season. The first was in Detroit, 121-116, and the second in LA, 110-106.

Prediction

The LAL is a favorite here, despite the fact that LeBron might be out. Davis was solid recently, Westbrook has some consistency off the bench, while other players have their share of the contribution. Meanwhile, Cunningham might also skip this one for the Pistons, but even with him in the lineup, the Lakers are the favorites. In a battle between two poor teams, we give the edge to the home unit because of the crowd, the experience, and the star potential. The odds are not impressive, but they have value.

Pick: Lakers -250