The Detroit Pistons host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, November 29, at the Little Caesars Arena, hoping to pull one over the purple and gold.
Both teams will meet for the first time this season and are coming off losses. But of the two teams, a win matters the most for the Pistons since they have dropped 14 straight games and are in the cellar of the Eastern Conference standings.
In their last game, the Pistons bowed to the Washington Wizards, 126-107, on Monday, November 27, in a battle of the NBA's worst teams. Head coach Monty Williams was livid at his team's effort, stressing that he did not see a competitive fight in his team against the Wizards, AP News reported.
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"That wasn't Pistons basketball by any stretch of the imagination. That's what this is-we have to have people that honor the organization and the jersey by competing at a high level every night. I'm not talking about execution, just competing. That wasn't it, and that's on me," Williams said after the game.
It won't get easier for the Pistons against a Lakers looking to make up for a humiliating loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, 138-94, on Monday, November 27.
LeBron James was unsurprisingly upset and did not hold back after the lopsided loss, ESPN reported.
"What needs to change in order for that to not happen again? A lot," the four-time NBA champion said.
Lakers vs. Pistons Odds
The Lakers are 7-point favorites to prevail over the Pistons on Wednesday. The Moneyline is -258 for Los Angeles and +210 for Detroit per BetMGMSportsbook via USA Today.
Given that they are coming off a surprising and humiliating loss, the Lakers are expected to bounce back as they try to get back on the winning track. Their run has been erratic thus far, but a loss is more than just an ordinary wake-up call for a talented team such as LA.
Lakers vs. Pistons Preview
The Pistons may have a homecourt advantage, although it may take more than that to win over the Lakers. So far this season, Detroit is 1-7 at home.
For the Lakers, they are 3-6 away from home. They are expected to bank heavily on their offense, owning an offensive rating of 110.5 thus far. They are 14th in the league in terms of defensive rating with a 112.4. So far, they have given up 113.7 points to opponents and have been outscored by 1.9 points per game.
Detroit is expected to rely anew on their 3-point shooting, averaging 9.9 per game. They hold the advantage in taking care of the ball better than the Lakers at just 4.1 per contest.
However, their offensive options need work, not to mention their ability to compete. James and company are no pushovers, so it will be interesting to see how Williams will motivate them to pull off a win.
Lakers vs. Pistons Pick
Without question, the Lakers should bounce back with a win over the Pistons on Wednesday. The only question is how the purple and gold will go about it.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham needs to figure out how to get the best out of his team, even with James in tow. They need to win convincingly to silence critics. If they struggle to pull off a big win, Los Angeles will have to deal with more backlash from pundits, which raises questions about their run this 2023-24 season.
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