NBA: Lakers finally enter the win column

The Lakers' Dwight Howard drives around Detroit's Greg Monroe during Sunday's game at Staples Center. (David Crane / Staff Photographer)

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Photo gallery: Lakers-Pistons basketball

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For once, the Lakers performed as advertised.

Dwight Howard dominated in the post.

The Lakers actually played defense.

And Kobe Bryant didn't have to take over thanks to his supporting cast.

All of those ingredients ensured the Lakers' first win of the season, a 108-79 victory Sunday over the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center.

It's actually the team's first win in 14 games, counting eight preseason losses and an exit from the 2011 Western Conference semifinals. The Lakers (1-3) also avoided joining the 1957-58 Minneapolis team as the only team in franchise history to start the season 0-4.

"We all understand we want to win and do it with a sense of urgency," Lakers coach Mike Brown said beforehand.

The Lakers secured that outcome early against Detroit (0-3), heading into the locker room with a 62-34 halftime lead.

Howard, who posted a team-leading 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds and three blocks, eclipsed his output Friday against the Clippers (13 points) by the 8:38 mark of the second quarter. Bryant scored 15 points in only 32 minutes, a far cry from the 40-point outburst the Lakers needed from him in 43 minutes in their Clippers loss.

The Lakers finally made defensive stops, holding the

Pistons to a 36.4-percent shooting clip. Steve Blake and Darius Morris absorbed Steve Nash's absence from a mild fracture in his left leg by combining for 12 points and eight assists.

It remains to be seen, however, how long the Lakers can mitigate Nash's void, even if he's only averaged 4.5 points on 33-percent shooting and four assists through two games.

The Lakers expect Nash to sit out for at least a week, meaning he'll also miss games Wednesday at Utah and Friday against Golden State. Even though the Lakers' starters have only played one exhibition and two regular-season contests together, Brown cautioned the team won't rush Nash's return when it reevaluates him next week.

"We want to make sure we're not putting these guys in a position to injure themselves even more so they're out for a longer period of time," Brown said.

Dr. Elton Strauss, an Orthopaedic Surgeon with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, said athletes typically return from such an injury in at least two weeks.

"The fracture is in the soft bone and heals clinically within 10 -14 days and is healed when an X-ray is done at 6 weeks," Strauss wrote in an e-mail. "The fracture should be stable with little to no movement."

For now, though, the Lakers appeared to enjoy the win.

After shooting only 34.8 percent to open the season, Metta World Peace suddenly found his stroke with 18 points on a 7-of-11 clip.

Howard received his fair share of lobs from Gasol, Bryant, Blake and Morris. Gasol also punished Detroit from double-teaming Howard by scoring 14 points, though he shot only 6 of 16 from the field. Jordan Hill also posted 11 points and seven rebounds, while Blake tied a career-high in steals (five).

Such images trumped what the Lakers witnessed in their first three games.

Said Brown: "I truly believe in what we're doing so I'm going to stay the course."

Source: http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_21930177/nba-lakers-finally-enter-win-column?source=rss

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