Pistons Caught in Middle

It is a dark and foreboding week in March when the easy game is against a division leader that has lost twice on the road in more than two months, and the critical game is still two days off, and all anyone can think about is how bad they had been for two days in Texas.

All regular-season details, to be sure, but these are the Lakers, and those are their issues, and nothing about the Lakers is ever insignificant.

So it was that the Lakers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 94-82, on Friday night at Staples Center, with 28 points from Shaquille O’Neal and 18 from Kobe Bryant, and just enough from everyone else, including 10 rebounds each from power forwards Samaki Walker and Robert Horry.

Now they get the Sacramento Kings, leaders of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference, Sunday at Arco Arena.

After nearly 40 points’ worth of losses in Dallas and San Antonio in midweek, the Lakers pushed themselves through the Pistons just hard enough to save something for the Kings, they presumably hope, because they need to make up 11/2 games--they are two losses back--some time in the next 14. They also play the Kings on the last day of the regular season, at Staples Center.

“Are we ready for Sunday?” Rick Fox repeated. “We’ll find out. We’re not playing the prettiest basketball right now.”

If nothing else, the Lakers stepped far enough away from those losses with the victory, if not necessarily the most seamless of efforts. There were too many fouls and too many offensive lapses and too much of overbearing referee David Jones for that, but they shrugged and promised to board their charter tonight, and they’d find out about the Kings with everyone else.

“If we don’t win this ballgame on Sunday it’s going to be difficult to win the division,” Coach Phil Jackson said. “We’re going to have to get that game and hopefully get some help along the way.”

First, there were the Pistons to think of, because the Lakers had no interest in arriving in Sacramento on a three-game losing streak, and because they have already had their fill of losses to lesser foes.

“We knew going into this week it was going to be tough,” Brian Shaw said. “That’s why you beat the teams you’re supposed to beat, and we didn’t always do that.”

Considering the Pistons don’t have a player with the size of O’Neal, the Lakers spent an inordinate amount of time heaving three-pointers. They were four for 21 from the arc. When they did focus on O’Neal, as they did for a time late in the third quarter, the Lakers broke open a close game.

From 56-56, O’Neal scored eight of the next 12 Laker points, two on hard dunks, and by the end of the third quarter the Lakers led, 70-60. In all, O’Neal scored 11 points in the third quarter after the entire team scored 16 in the second.

Their offense so redirected, the Lakers scored on their first four possessions of the fourth quarter, and led, 79-63, when Bryant flung a behind-the-back pass to Fox for a fastbreak layup. The Pistons got within seven points at 85-78, but no closer.

“We’re a little on track,” O’Neal said, “but not fully.”

Still, there were critics, because the Lakers aren’t close to their game yet.

“This wasn’t a good win,” Horry said. “Against a team like this you are meant to have a much better outcome.

“This is a team we should have beaten by 20 points.”

Indeed, the game’s flow was fractured by 28 Laker fouls and 20 Laker turnovers and two Laker technicals.

Bryant received his technical from referee Jones early in the third quarter. After Bryant believed he had been fouled, causing a turnover, he tossed the ball to Jones with what Jones determined to be excessive force.

Six Piston possessions later, Jones effectively put Bryant on the bench. Bryant was assessed his third and fourth fouls within seconds of each other, one chasing a rebound and the other running with Stackhouse 22 feet from the basket.

Jones also gave O’Neal a technical.

“Everybody was a little off-kilter,” Jackson said.

The fouls killed the momentum Bryant built in a strong first half spent beating Stackhouse off the dribble and defending him with grit. Bryant made seven of 12 first-half attempts, and had two or three others rim out, all while hounding Stackhouse into four misses in six attempts and but seven points. Bryant’s fouls, however, sent Devean George after Stackhouse, who finished with 21 points on five-for-13 shooting.