Pistons at Lakers Game Thread: Game Time, TV, Odds and More

The road trip is coming to an end, and the glass is half full. The Detroit Pistons lost all of its games on the west coast swing and regain the pole position in lottery odds race. But they didn’t have much fun and delight, and didn’t provide ones for us, as they apparently left their “we play good no matter the results” motto at the doorstep while leaving Detroit.

Now they face Lakers who themselves are having fun because of winning and vice versa… well, at least some of them as LeBron James is complaining (which, considering the circumstances, can be understandable) about the idea of organizing the All-Star Game next month in Atlanta. We know that there is a possibility of something like that, namely winning and having fun. But for now, the winning will be scarce so hopefully they’ll be a little fun on the floor even in a loss.

One thing we can be sure in any case is that Isaiah Stewart will keep on being fun to watch. Coming off his second career double-double against Suns last night, and finally elaborating an offensive role for himself, he should be even more motivated to show his brand of using-all-the-opportunity to contribute basketball. One of these days his energy should finally start to infect his teammates, at any rate those younger ones. Why not this time?

Pistons probably will also have another injection of energy in Derrick Rose. He missed yesterday game as part of strategy to rest him on the first half of back to back. However, you never know if DRose energy is well suited for this rebuilding team. So let’s not get ahead of ourselves too early…

Game Vitals

When: 10 p.m. EST
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Watch: Fox Sports Detroit
Odds: Pistons +13

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (5-17)

Delon Wright, Josh Jackson, Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant, Mason Plumlee

Los Angeles Lakers (17-6)

Dennis Schroeder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol

Pregame Reading

The texts about Anthony Davis’ winning and being happy issues and James’ thoughts about the All Star Game during pandemic linked above, reminds us that our beloved sport and franchise aren’t in a vacuum. Here’s Detroit Free Press Omari Sankofa and Angie Jackson’s insightful article about more grave reminder of that truth. The text follows different sides involved in the controversy of Pistons owner, Tom Gores, being also an owner of a firm profiting heavily from prison’s inmates phone calls to their close ones. The juxtaposition of their views pulls together both the changes made and the huge amount of work that still needs to be done to solve the controversy rightly – a thing that was postulated for a long time also by many DBBers led by MrHappyMushroom.

And you can find another, less weighty reminder of that truth in The Detroit News Rod Beard piece about the difficulties the Pistons fans around the globe meet in their life while trying to follow their team.

Have a good game fellow DBBers!!!