NBA: Lakers finally register first win of the 2012-13 season

Playing without two-time MVP Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers still managed to go out and register their first win of the season, manhandling the Detroit Pistons 108-79, on their homecourt, the Staples Center in LA, Sunday (Monday, PHL time). The Lakers had made a pair of big offseason splashes, acquiring Nash and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard in separate trades, but after going without a win in the preseason, their malaise carried over once the actual games started, as they began the season 0-3, with losses to the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and LA Clippers. Things went from bad to worse when it was announced Saturday (Sunday, PHL time) that Nash would miss at least a week due to a leg fracture, but LA managed to impose their will on the Pistons even without him, posting a 34-13 lead after the first 12 minutes. LA went up 86-55 by the end of the third, with things seemingly in the bag, but their lead dropped from 31 to 21 with eight and a half minutes left, forcing Lakers head coach Mike Brown to put back starters Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol to make sure that this game did not slip away. Dwight Howard led all scorers with 28 points. He also hauled in seven rebounds and blocked three shots. Kobe Bryant shrugged off foul trouble to drop 15, in addition to seven rebounds and eight assists. Metta World Peace added 18 markers. With Howard leading the way, LA got a massive 56-34 advantage in points in the paint. The Pistons had 18 points off the bench from reserve Jonas Jerebko, while fellow bench players Kyle Singler and Will Bynum chimed in 11 and 10 respectively, as they stayed winless at 0-3. No Detroit starter tallied double-digit scoring. Up next for LA is a six-game set against Western Conference squads. They play the Utah Jazz next on the road, followed by five at home versus Golden State, Sacramento, San Antonio, Phoenix, and Houston. - AMD, GMA News