Sacramento Kings snap Detroit Pistons three-game win streak
By David Topham
The Sacramento Kings (17-27) beat the Detroit Pistons (21-25), 109-104, on Monday night to sweep the season series.
The Detroit Pistons lost 109-104 to the Sacramento Kings, who rode a strong showing from their bench to victory. Frankly, the Kings came out and got this W behind an energy and effort level that the Pistons simply didn’t bring tonight.
The Pistons finally had their full squad healthy for the first time all season and they still were outcompeted at home by a Kings team who came in struggling.
Detroit led 38-28 at the end of the first quarter, but the all-bench unit that came on to start the second quarter surrendered 16 points in the period’s first three minutes and six seconds. The Kings rode that momentum to win the quarter 37-24 and never looked back .
Sacramento’s bench scored 52 points to Detroit’s 30. The Pistons were outrebounded 44-37, including 10-5 on the offensive end. Also, they gave up 17 second-chance points, an area where they only allow a league-leading 9.4 per game.
The Kings were led by DeMarcus Cousins, who finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists, and Ty Lawson, who scored 19 points (including nine in the second quarter) and handed out 6 assists. Reggie Jackson had 18 points and 11 assists for Detroit.
Sacramento’s win snapped a five-game losing streak, while Detroit’s loss puts an end to their three-game win streak. The Kings are 2-8 in their last ten games, with both wins coming against the Detroit Pistons.
PG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON. B-. Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 18 points and 11 assists, but could not jump start the offense in the second half and did not have a strong showing on defense. Jackson continues to be an enigmatic player, looking brilliant one possession and out of sorts the next.
KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE. C. <a rel=. SG. Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS. C+. <a rel=. SF
B-. <a rel=. PF. Detroit Pistons. JON LEUER
C-. <a rel=. C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND
B-. <a rel=. PF. Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS
ARON BAYNES. F. <a rel=. C. Detroit Pistons
F. <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH
C. Bullock scored seven points in under six minutes of action in the second quarter, making a three and a nice backdoor cut. That earned him <a rel=. SG/SF. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK
Detroit Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON. Inc.. Stanley Johnson came on with Bullock to start the second quarter, so SVG had every intention of using a 10-man rotation tonight. However, Johnson allowed a few easy buckets on the defensive end and was yanked after just three minutes and six seconds, in which the Kings scored 16 points, and never saw the court again.. SF
D. SVG had to change his plans mid-game thanks to Leuer’s foul trouble, whom he had guarding Cousins when the starters were the floor, and the bench’s poor play. Van Gundy continues to struggle to get his guys ready to give it their all when they step onto the court, although I don’t know how much you can blame him for the Pistons’ semi-regular lack of effort.. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY
Next: The truth behind the Pistons’ defensive woes
The Detroit Pistons are off until Saturday, when they’ll face the Heat in Miami.