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<b>SteemSports Presenter:</b>@mateonav53
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<b>SteemSports Editor:</b>@scottybuckets
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The Lakers will take on the Pistons at the Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit on Monday, March 26th at 4 PM PST / 7 PM EST. The teams haven't played since the very start of the season on Halloween in Los Angeles, where the Lakers breezed by them 113-93. 
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The Lakers are experiencing a rash of injuries as the season winds down. Brandon Ingram is looking doubtful to suit up for LA because of his groin injury so that will be 12 straight games out. He has shown progress in his recovery though by getting involved in 2-on-2 drills with the training staff. Isaiah Thomas has been experiencing some hip issues too and won't be playing for the second game in a row. They'll be leaning heavily on Kyle Kuzma, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, and former Piston Kentavius Caldwell Pope for production. This will actually be his homecoming for the team that drafted him, but he's not sure whether the Detroit crowd will boo him or welcome his return. Either way, he said he'll take the reaction in stride per The Orange County Register.
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The Lakeshow was staring down the barrel of a potential 5-game losing streak on Saturday when they traveled to Memphis to battle the Grizzlies. Thankfully, they managed to take care of business against one of the worst teams in the league with huge kudos directed towards Kyle Kuzma. Kuz had 25 points and 10 boards and some huge fourth quarter moments. He pitched in 15 points in the fourth and put the team on his back by going on a little 7-0 run by himself in the final quarter to give LA their first lead of the game. A confident Kuzma with the green light is a deadly thing and could spell some trouble for the Motor City. 
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Julius Randle might have his hands full as he bangs down low with two of the most prominent bigs in the game in Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. Sometimes Blake likes to play the same muscle game in the paint as Julius, and Griffin can be a hell of an instigator to opponents. Watch for those two to get testy as they battle for supremacy below the rim. 
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The Detroit Pistons have been in a cushy phase of their schedule, winning three of their last 4 games. They incurred a loss against the Rockets but they pushed it to overtime in a competitive contest 100-96. Their three recent wins have come against bottom feeders like the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings. Detroit has shown they're focused and in a groove by grabbing victories against easy teams and going head to head with the league-best Rockets. 
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Blake Griffin has been making plays and flirting with triple-doubles during this stretch (and even got one in the Rockets loss), while Drummond has feasted on anyone who dares try and beat him on the boards. They're the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference and 5.5 games behind Miami. It's an extremely difficult deficit to overcome given the small number of games left, but they have to take care of business against teams like the Lakers for a shot at the playoffs. 
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Aside from the win in Memphis, the Lakers haven't looked good in their four losses that came before. They blew leads down the stretch, and that was even with one of their top scorers Isaiah Thomas in the lineup. Brook Lopez has been having a great month of March (22.4 pts, 5 rebs, 2.1 assists, 1.8 blocks in his last 8 games), so they'll definitely need him to show up on the road. Aside from Brook, LA will need excellent play and smart decision-making from the aforementioned Lonzo, Kuz, KCP, Randle, and some timely contributions from guys like Travis Wear to be competitive with the Pistons. Given the Laker injuries and solid Pistons play of late, I'm going to predict that Detroit emerges victorious 130-120. 
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Thank you for following @steemsports and you can find me @mateonav53
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