Don’t let the score fool you; the Los Angeles Lakers’ meeting with the Detroit Pistons was not as close as the 20-point loss would indicate. In fact, it was much, much worse for the Lakers.
With Kobe Bryant battling the flu and his illness hardly doing his already poor performance any favors, the Lakers struggled out of the gate. Bryant was missing jumpers, Roy Hibbert looked inept, and the entirety of the team completely forgot what the general concept of defense is all about.
Detroit just lit up the Lakers from all over the floor.