Friday night, the Detroit Pistons continued their west coast trip when they faced the Sacramento Kings at the Sleep Train Arena. This was the third game on the road trip and Detroit was looking to get their first win both on the road and against a Western Conference team.The Pistons received great performances from Josh Smith, Andre Drummond, and Brandon Jennings, who all together recorded 47 points, 32 rebounds and 17 assists.  This was a great team performance from Detroit and showed how good the team can be.

Detroit took a three-point lead into halftime and really put out their best effort in the third quarter when they outscored the Kings 26-19.  The Pistons would hold on to win the game 97-90 and move to 3-5 on the season.

Rodney Stuckey and Kyle Singler played big minutes off the bench, as they helped fill in for injured guard Chauncey Billups (sore knee).  Stuckey had 16 points in 30 minutes off the bench and Singler added 11 points in 23 minutes.

Sunday night, the Pistons went head-to-head against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Staples Center.  Detroit was off to a great start on both sides of the ball as they limited the Lakers to 50 points at halftime, and scoring 56 themselves.

Things quickly changed in the second half when Jordan Hill and the Lakers just dominated the Pistons. Hill had arguably the best game of his NBA career, scoring 24 points and bringing down 17 rebounds.

Unfortunately for Detroit, their defense this season has been one of the worst in the league.  Opposing teams are shooting 49% against them which is the 25th worst in the league.  The Lakers did not help this stat, as they shot to the tune of 61% from the field in the second half and 52% for the game.

The Pistons gave up 10 three-pointers, allowed Los Angeles to score 64 second half points and ultimately lost the game 114-99.  This was the last game on Detroit’s road trip, and it did not turn out as they hoped. They went 1-4 and their struggles against the Western Conference continue.

Chauncey Billups continues to be sidelined with a sore knee, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will most likely continue to fill in as the starting shooting guard.

Detroit will look to bounce back as they take on the New York Knicks Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The game tips off at 7:30 and can be seen on Fox Sports Detroit.

Cameron Billes is the host of Horsepower for Impact Sports.