Lakers Mow Down Motown

Kobe Bryant (40 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals), started the game 1-6 as his shooting woes appeared to continue into a third consecutive game, but he then responded with 21-first half points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 106-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center. The Lakers, like Kobe, started slowly and endured a difficult 1st quarter offensively. But the Pistons didn’t exactly burn up the nets either as both teams struggled to put points on the scoreboard. Worried Lakers fans sat back in their seats unsure if they were going to witness their first 3-game losing streak since Pau Gasol joined the team in February 2008. The Lakers barely had a pulse and led after one quarter, 24-23.

Kobe heated up in the 2nd quarter, as did the Bench Mob as Jordan Farmar (10 pts, 4 assists, 3 rebounds), and Shannon Brown (12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal), infused some much-needed life into the squad. With the Lakers going small with a 3-guard attack, the intensity and speed of the game picked up. Farmar was able to attack the basket with dribble-drives and dished to his cutting big men for easy buckets. Kobe returned to his perimeter shots after struggling with his post-up game the past few outings, and he torched the Pistons with vintage pull-ups and ball fakes. The Lakers outscored the Pistons 34-20 in the period to take a 57-42 lead into halftime.

The lead and Kobe’s hot hand continued into the 3rd period. He converted on a Jordanesque move along the baseline, driving hard to the basket, then turning away from the basket and flipping the ball over his head into the hoop. Jaws dropped as Kobe casually trotted back up court while the Lakers extended the score to their largest lead of the night at 28-points. Kobe then took the smaller Ben Gordon (18 points), into the post where he effortlessly converted on his back-down fade-aways. He seemed to have finally regained his offensive rhythm and everything started dropping for him again. And as Kobe goes, the same applies for the Lakers. A left-handed jumper in the key gave them an 88-63 advantage to end the third period.

The Lakers coasted to the finish line as Detroit tried in vain to come back. They went on a furious rally to start the final period and eventually cut the lead down to 8-points. But the Lakers were never in any real danger and they methodically put the Pistons to rest as Kobe nailed a long trey to push the lead back up to double digits. Andrew Bynum (17 points, 12 rebounds) had another steady game, exploiting Detroit’s inferior, interior defense. Ron Artest (7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) and Lamar Odom (8 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) rounded out the scorecards. Off the bench, Will Bynum (24 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds), led Detroit along with Jason Maxiell (13 points, 7 rebounds). The Lakers outrebounded Detroit, 44-32 and also enjoyed a 27-17 advantage in assists.