It's hard to believe that the Los Angeles Lakers can be associated with an unbeaten record, but that's been the case against the Eastern Conference.
The Lakers are 3-0 versus East opponents as they start a three-game trip Tuesday night against a Detroit Pistons team that has dropped eight straight.
These franchises are not anywhere near the caliber they were when they met in the NBA Finals 11 seasons ago, with Detroit winning in five games.
The descent has been particularly painful for Los Angeles (4-13), which may threaten to break the club record of 55 defeats set last season.
The Lakers have managed perfection against the East, winning 129-122 in overtime over Toronto on Sunday. They face the Pistons (3-14), Washington and Boston on this trip.
"In the East, it's three or four really good teams and then everybody else is kind of mediocre," coach Byron Scott said. "We go back that way (Monday), we'll see what happens."
Los Angeles has won four straight and nine of the last 10 meetings with Detroit.
The Lakers also feel more confident as a unit after Kobe Bryant's 20th career triple-double Sunday. Bryant had 31 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as they snapped a four-game slide.
"Kobe was amazing tonight, man - dropping dimes to everybody, rebounding, shooting it and being a great playmaker," forward Carlos Boozer said. "When he plays like that, we all get involved. He's amazing every night, but tonight was something special."
Bryant also recorded his 6,000th assist, becoming the first player with at least that many to go along with 30,000 points.
"It means I pass more than people say," Bryant joked.
The league's leading scorer is averaging 26.6 points, though his average of 23.1 field-goal attempts is four more than any other player.
The Lakers have had their share of defensive problems, allowing opponents to shoot 48.5 percent for the league's second-worst mark. Detroit, however, is the NBA's worst shooting team at 41.2.
The Pistons' problems have been magnified by 49.7 percent shooting within 12 feet of the basket for the East's worst mark. Coach Stan Van Gundy said that they rank last in the league in field-goal percentage inside 3 feet.
"I don't have an answer to that," Van Gundy said. "Are we gonna go into games and say we don't want those shots? We don't want the ball in the paint. I don't have an answer to that, but we're really struggling in and around the basket."
The offense received a boost Sunday when Brandon Jennings returned after missing three games with a hyperextended left thumb and scored 22 points in a 104-93 home defeat to Golden State.
Van Gundy broke up his usual three-post lineup, starting Kyle Singler at small forward and bringing Greg Monroe off the bench. It didn't work, as Monroe, Andre Drummond and Josh Smith went a combined 12 for 38, and the Pistons shot 30.1 percent as a team in the paint.
"When you're 3-14, it's not like you're happy with the lineup," the coach said.
The Pistons are enduring their longest losing streak since a 10-game slide March 1-22, 2013.
