2-8 Detroit 93 LA Lakers 78

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Detroit 93 LA Lakers 78

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The Los Angeles Lakers look to continue building momentum on their season-high eight-game road trip when they try for their first road win over the Detroit Pistons in more than five years.

The Lakers (30-19) have won three of their last four games, and are 3-2 on their eight-game, 13-day trip. Los Angeles completed a rare season series sweep of Atlanta on Monday with a 90-83 victory.

Kobe Bryant scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for Los Angeles, which staved off a late Hawks charge to sweep two games from Atlanta for the first time in seven years.

NBA

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. Feb. 9 (AP) -- Chris Webber has fit into his new team seamlessly, making passes and shots.

The five-time All-Star still is not satisfied.

Webber had 18 points and 11 rebounds to help the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers 93-78 on Thursday night.

NBA

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After another balanced attack led to another win -- the Pistons' fifth straight -- coach Flip Saunders responded to a question about his team's growing affection for passing the ball with another question.

"The Globetrotting?" he asked.

That's one word for the hard-cutting, behind-the-back passing, give-and-go style of play that has held court whenever the Pistons have taken the court with Chris Webber in their starting lineup.

Free Press

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Photo Gallery

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AUBURN HILLS -- It's pretty when it's rolling and, as the Los Angeles Lakers will attest, the Pistons have it rolling.

Hard screens and back cuts, behind-the-back passes and alley-oops, tick-tack-toe plays resulting in dunks, scrappy defense resulting in chaos and turnovers for the Lakers -- the Pistons had it all on display in their 93-78 victory before the 160th straight sellout at The Palace and a national television audience Thursday.

Pistons dominate Lakers up front, win fifth in a row

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Sports Photo Gallery - Pistons 93, Lakers 78 - The Detroit News Online

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AUBURN HILLS, MICH. — No doubt about it. The Detroit Pistons bring out the worst in the Lakers.

Another visit to the Palace turned into another one-sided Lakers loss, punctuated by a belligerent Brian Cook in a 93-78 Pistons' victory Thursday.

With the game slipping quickly out of the Lakers' reach, Cook and Coach Phil Jackson argued after Cook dropped his warmups in Jackson's lap upon being inserted into the game during a Detroit free throw with 1:25 left in the third quarter.

LA Times

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Photo Gallery

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Before the Lakers set out on this eight-game road trip, their longest since December 1989, coach Phil Jackson framed it for his team in terms of bringing them together or tearing them apart.

After watching the scene that unfolded on the bench between the third and fourth quarters of Thursday night's 93-78 loss to the Detroit Pistons, it was hard not to conclude that the Lakers were coming apart at the seams.

LA Daily News - Lakers loss turns ugly

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02/08: Lakers vs. Pistons: Photo Gallery