The last team to triumph over the LA Lakers, the Detroit Pistons, arrive at the Staples Center on Saturday night with the current worst record in the NBA.
Detroit's victory over the Lakers certainly came as a shock to the defending champions, who have since gone on a ruthless 3-game win streak. That included Thursday night's impressive victory over the in-form Denver Nuggets, as the LA Lakers recovered a 12-point half-time deficit.
With the best defense in the league, the Lakers were able to keep Jokic relatively quiet by his high standards. Meanwhile, their own MVP candidate, LeBron James, was utterly dominant with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was a historic night for the forward as he passed the great Wilt Chamberlain for 3rd all-time in made field goals.
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The Detroit Pistons have struggled on their road trip West, being dominated in the last three games. Coach Casey will be hoping to inspire some of the form lost since the last matchup between these two sides and will need leader Blake Griffin to star again as he did when he scored 23 points last time around.
Detroit Pistons - Team News
The Detroit Pistons arrive in LA on the second night of a back-to-back and, therefore, could rotate the starting five that were scorched by Phoenix on Friday. Wayne Ellington, Jahlil Okafor and Derrick Rose all missed out against the Suns and remain questionable for this encounter.
Ellington will be a big miss for Detroit after scoring 20 points against the LA Lakers in their last encounter. Fans will be boosted, however, by the impressive performance from rookie center Isaiah Stewart as he grabbed a double-double off the bench on Friday night.
LA Lakers - Team News
The home side may be without superstar Anthony Davis for the fixture against the Detroit Pistons after the forward's injury status was downgraded from probable to questionable for Saturday night.
Coach Vogel may use this kinder matchup to rest Davis while also using his roster depth more to give more bench time to the likes of LeBron James who is listed as probable at the time of writing.
Aside from their two leaders, the LA Lakers are also missing Kostas Antetokounmpo and Jared Dudley from their bench unit.
At what time will the Detroit Pistons vs LA Lakers commence?
USA: February 6th, 2021, 10:00 PM (Eastern Time)
India: February 7th, 2021, 8:30 AM (Indian Standard Time)
Where to watch Pistons vs Lakers
The game between the Detroit Pistons and LA Lakers will be available locally for fans in America on Spectrum SportsNet and Fox Sports Detroit. International viewers can catch the game live with an NBA League Pass.
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