Five things to watch in Lakers-Pistons matchup

Some things to keep an eye on when the Lakers (23-14) visit the Detroit Pistons (12-26) Monday at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

1. Will the Lakers have a letdown? Forget about all the concern regarding the Lakers’ 6-12 road record. Most of that resulted from quality opponents and the Lakers’ early season struggles. It’s very hard to envision Detroit beating the Lakers. But it’s possible the Lakers will make this game more difficult than it should be. After the thrill over earning a signature win Sunday over the Miami Heat, it will be interesting to see whether the Lakers’ energy level will plummet. How the Lakers start out will largely tell whether they will put this game away early or go through the motions.

2. The Lakers need to use this opportunity to rest. Detroit ranks third-worst in total offense (89.05 points per game), 26th in field-goal percentage (42.6%), 17th in total defense (95.95) and second-worst in opponent’s field-goal percentage (47.4%). So there should be no excuse for the Lakers not being able to give Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Metta World Peace and Derek Fisher some rest. Even though the Lakers play the lowly Washington Wizards (8-29) Wednesday, it’s always wise to conserve legs for the second game of a back-to-back.

3. Bryant will likely light it up against Detroit. There’s plenty that’s keeping Bryant motivated these days. He’s averaged at least 30 points in the last three games as the Masked Mamba, proving that a tender nose and neck spasms won’t keep him from scoring at a prolific rate. The last game came against Dwyane Wade, whose hard foul in last week’s All-Star game gave Bryant a concussion, a broken nose and whiplash in his neck.

Here’s another thing that will keep him motivated against the Pistons, stewing over the Lakers’ 2004 NBA Finals loss to Detroit. It sounds a tad absurd, but Bryant revealed last season that he still uses that as motivation when he plays the Pistons. Considering he’s averaged 32 points against them in three of the last four seasons, it’s actually pretty believable. Playing against Tayshaun Prince, who played with Detroit’s 2004 team, will provide another reminder.

4. The Lakers need to force Pistons point guard Brandon Knight into making mistakes. Detroit rookie point guard Brandon Knight has shown promise, demonstrating marked improvement from January to February in points per game (12.3, 14) and field-goal percentage (39.6%, 42.2%). In his first 19 games, Knight had only one game without a turnover. In the last 19, he’s had five such games. Still, this shows that the former Kentucky product is still experiening a learning curve. Because of the Lakers’ point guard deficiencies, it’s possible Knight could have a breakout game. But if the Lakers maintain their sharp defense on switching and helping, that could spur Knight into making mistakes.

5. The Lakers have the size advantage, so use it. If the Lakers’ frontline thought it was easy playing against Miami’s frontline against Chris Bosh, then this will be a field day. Outside of Ben Wallace’s limited minutes, the Pistons don’t have anyone to counter Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. As much as Bryant will want to maintain his efficient scoring rate, it’s critical he still keeps the offense balanced.

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