The Los Angeles Lakers open a brief three-game road trip on Tuesday night facing the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Lakers have won all three of their games since the All-Star break, all at home, and now find themselves in first place, a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers
Since getting his nose broken and suffering a concussion in the NBA All-Star Game on February 26 in Orlando, Kobe Bryant has scored at least 31 points in all three games, all wins, and has averaged 34.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, while shooting 54.3% from the field.
The Lakers (24-13) have won five straight games against the Pistons, including three straight contests in Auburn Hills. The Lakers have swept the last two season series against Detroit, and are 6-4 in their last 10 games in Detroit.
Second-year center Greg Monroe leads the Pistons in both scoring (16.7 points per game) and rebounding (10.1 per game) this season, and has 20 double-doubles on the season. Monroe is second in the league in offensive rebounding, averaging 4.1 offensive boards per game.
The Pistons (12-26) have lost four of their last five games.
Tuesday's 4:30 p.m. PST game will be televised by KCAL. For more news and notes on Lakers basketball, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.