Kobe Bryant hit a scoring milestone but, more importantly, deferred to teammate Pau Gasol as the L.A. Lakers beat up on a bad Detroit Pistons team 108-83 at Staples Center. Gasol finished with 21 points and Bryant had 17. More importantly, Pau took 11 FGAs and seven free throws, while Kobe took 18 and eight, respectively. That's a huge improvement over recent games, where Kobe took three times as many shots as Pau.
Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol Tag Up To Lead Lakers Over Pistons
Kobe passed Dominique Wilkins to take sole positions of No. 10 on the all-time scoring list. Bryant is also 39 points from reaching Oscar Robertson for No. 9, and he's likely pass Hakeem Olajuwon for No. 8 by the end of the month. Bryant is one of seven active players (Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce) in the top 50 in career points.
Along with Gasol, the Lakers' defense got back on track, though it's hard to ignore just how bad the Pistons' attack has been. Rodney Stuckey was scoreless in 13 minutes off the bench, and Detroit hit just 3-13 from behind the arc.
The Lakers had just six turnovers all game. L.A. next plays the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
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