Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Jordan Hill scored 16 points to lead a balanced scoring attack in the Los Angeles Lakers' 93-85 win over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.
Ed Davis and Wesley Johnson had 13 points, Jeremy Lin totaled 12 with seven rebounds and five assists, and Wayne Ellington added 11 points in the win.
Jordan Clarkson and Tarik Black each posted 10 points for the Lakers, with Clarkson dishing out a career-high eight assists.
Los Angeles snapped its five-game losing skid.
Lakers coach Byron Scott was at the helm for his 1,000th game in the NBA.
"I think I've learned a lot coaching 1,000 games. The game is the same, but the players are different. I'll leave it at that," Scott said.
Greg Monroe led all scorers with 24 points and added nine rebounds in the loss, while Andre Drummond scored 14 points and ripped 21 rebounds. Detroit has dropped seven straight games.
The Lakers came out for the second half with a defensive mindset, opening the third quarter on an 8-0 run. Their offense did not really keep up, as Tayshaun Prince's layup ended a 6:17 scoreless drought for the Pistons that brought the visitors back to within 57-52. Lin's 3-pointer with 27.6 seconds left staked the Lakers to a 67-61 lead heading to the fourth.
"I liked the defensive effort we gave, especially the second half. (The) third quarter was probably the best defense we have played all season," Scott said.
A Lin free throw with under seven minutes to go in the final frame pushed Los Angeles' lead to nine, but Drummond converted successive tip-ins to help Detroit cut its deficit to 83-80 with 2:57 on the clock.
The margin remained three with under a minute left when Hill knocked down a deep jumper from the top of the key to make it 87-82 LA. Lin then essentially sealed the outcome with two at the free throw line with 31 seconds left.
"In the second half we literally couldn't make a shot," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "At some point you have to put the ball in the basket. Our point guards were 2-for-18, and that makes it hard to win."
Los Angeles used an 8-2 run to grab a seven-point lead late in the first. The Lakers did not score for the final 1:30 of the first, however, and Drummond's alley-oop slam helped the Pistons close to within 25-20 after 12 minutes.
Caldwell-Pope buried a pair of 3-pointers in the final 1:23 of the half to give Detroit a slim 50-49 edge entering halftime.
Game Notes
Carlos Boozer grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in the win ... Caldwell-Pope had 15 points on 4-of-10 from 3-point range ... Detroit was limited to 38.6 percent shooting ... Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson scored just two points on 1-of-9 shooting ... Los Angeles outrebounded the Pistons 46-41.
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