Los Angeles Lakers manage to pad home winning streak

The Lakers, with their four Superstars, still are trying to get organized.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers and their four superstars aren't exactly sailing through the opposition yet.
They had a rocky outing Friday night, although they held on for 94-89 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
"The game wasn't quite as clean or error-free as I'd like it to be, but you have to credit their defense for some of that," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We're still struggling to get organized.
"Some of the things don't flow as nicely as we'd like them to flow down the court, but I think we're getting some of the concepts that we are trying to get. Gary [Payton] is pushing the ball and had a real good game for us."
Pad home streak
Payton scored 21 points and the Lakers extended their home winning streak to 19 in a row dating back to last February, their longest such streak since they won 24 in a row at home during the 1987-88 to the 1988-99 seasons.
Payton credited Shaquille O'Neal for playing well down the stretch. O'Neal had 21 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists and got a rebound and made two crucial free throws with 20 seconds remaining.
"He sleepwalks sometimes for three quarters. That's his game. Then, when he comes to you and he says, 'I'm woke now,' that's when you give him the ball," Payton said. "And that's what he did.
"He said he's woke, and he started getting fouled a lot. So he started getting really upset and started playing. Right in the middle of the fourth, he said, 'I'm woke now, give me the ball.' "
Complimented O'Neal
Kobe Bryant, involved in a rift with O'Neal just before the season began, also complimented him.
"I think somebody started talking trash to him and got him excited a little bit," Bryant said. "He draws so much attention and he's a great passer. So when he gets attention like that, he's very skilled at dropping off passes and it makes everybody's job easier."
Karl Malone, playing with a sore left hamstring, had 16 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles.
O'Neal finished 7-of-17 from the floor and 7-of-11 from the line. His late free throws gave the Lakers a 92-87 lead, and Payton capped the Lakers' scoring with a pair of free throws.
Chauncey Billups had 29 points for the Pistons, who lost their third in a row. Elden Campbell added 12 points and was in foul trouble throughout.
Billups regretted taking the late off-balance, 3-point shot that wound up in O'Neal's hands.
"It was a miscalculation by me. For some reason, I thought the clock was down a lot farther than what it was, and took that bad shot," Billups said.
Notes
Bryant had attended a 12-minute procedural hearing Thursday in Eagle, Colo., where he is charged with felony sexual assault. A trial date has not been set.
Coach Phil Jackson said the Lakers are "just happy with what Kobe can give us; what he can do on a given night, for his energy on the court. We're not expecting a whole lot, therefore what he does give us, we're thankful for." Jackson added, "They are looking for a speedy trial, but that's not going to happen, obviously. So we'll just have to play it out."