LA Lakers vs Detroit Pistons Prediction: The Lakers are favored here

The NBA Regular Season is in full flow and this has been a great start to the season. This has been an intriguing window where we have some squads rise up and give their best production early on in the season and from here on, things are only going to get trickier as injury and fatigue play roles. Some teams have little to no rhythm and two of these squads in the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons will meet here.

The Lakers come into this game after defeating the Nets 116:103 on the back of a 37 points performance by Anthony Davis. The win is rather an exception for the Lakers, a team that has lost 10 out of their 13 games and has undergone two five-game losing streaks already. They are one of the bottom dwellers in the rankings and are one of the worst teams in the league. This is like a repeat of the last season or perhaps even worse because except for the last parts, the team at least maintained a 50% win record.

LeBron James has been injured lately but even with him, the results haven’t changed that much. Anthony Davis has been on fire defensively while his scoring has come through too. Russell Westbrook has been a mixed bag but he has fit better as a bench player, providing some electric playmaking and strong (yet inconsistent) scoring, but much more is desired of him. Lonnie Walker IV has been a bright spot whereas sophomore Austin Reaves has picked up his game especially on the rebounding end

The Pistons enter the affair after suffering a 91:96 loss against the LA Clippers despite another strong 20+ points performance by Bojan Bogdanovic. They are currently on a five-game losing streak and have now lost 13 of their 16 games. This is an expected result from a team that is in rebuilding mode. While they upped their three-point shooting and overall scoring after adding Bojan Bogdanovic, wing Saddiq Bey has lost the plot from deep, which has deepened the woes.

Jaden Ivey, the rookie guard has been a bright spark, supplying quality playmaking, strong rebounding, and some decent scoring. Marvin Bagley has been a strong rebounder but is still recovering from his injury. Meanwhile, Center Jalen Duren has shown promise, especially as an offensive rebounder. Injured Cade Cunningham is a vital player in the rebuild and he has been delivering great results, but overall, the Pistons have a long way to go. They have shown fight but their young squad lets the strings loose in the deciding moments

• Pistons: OUT: Isaiah Stewart, Cade Cunningham;
• Lakers: OUT: Max Christie, Cole Swider. QUESTIONABLE: LeBron James, Juan Toscano-Anderson. PROBABLE: Anthony Davis.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Anthony Davis(23-28 Points), Bojan Bogdanovic(20-25 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Anthony Davis(10-13 Rebounds), Jalen Duren(7-10 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Russell Westbrook(8-11 Assists), Jaden Ivey(6-9 Assists).

The Lakers are not playing well at all but the last game win against a formidable Kevin Durant-led unit is a confidence booster. Anthony Davis is playing like an elite player and in the last game, he was just dominating the boards and performing tough moves inside. LeBron James’ status is up in the air and it will be interesting whether he plays here or not.

The Pistons have been struggling in terms of finishing games and their struggles are only piling up with each game, especially without Cade Cunningham. I believe the Lakers will come with a big effort here and bury the Pistons' effort early on. I see the total points range being 225-235. I see the scoreline of 119:107 in favor of the Lakers.