Kings Get Embarrassed in Crushing 133-120 Loss to Pistons
Coming off a seven-game road trip, the Sacramento Kings returned home to face the six-win Detroit Pistons in what should have been an easier game for them. Instead, the Kings get embarrassed playing in front of their home crowd for the first time in over two weeks, losing 133-120.
The Pistons, without Cade Cunningham or Bojan Bogdanovic, were led by sophomore Jaden Ivey, playing with purpose after the Kings passed on him with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, selecting Keegan Murray instead. Ivey had a game-high and season-high 37 points, shooting 13-23 from the field with six rebounds and seven assists.
Ivey got help from big man Jalen Duren with 20 points and 15 rebounds, along with Alec Burks dropping 25 points off the bench.
Despite strong first and third quarters, the Kings lost the game in the second and fourth, getting outscored 75-48 in those 24 minutes of action.
Sacramento had strong showings from an unexpected trio, as Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, and Trey Lyles led the way. Sabonis extended his double-double streak (33 consecutive) with 30 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Monk came off the bench with a double-double of his own, dropping 23 points and ten assists. Lyles, off the bench, contributed 19 points on 5-10 shooting from downtown.
The end of the game summed up Sacramento's performance, as Kevin Huerter got ejected with under two minutes remaining after receiving two technicals for getting in the referee's ear about a missed foul call on the prior possession.
Kings star point guard De'Aaron Fox had a forgettable game, dropping just 12 points on 5-14 shooting, but tallied seven assists and three steals. Sacramento's star sophomore Murray dropped his first dud of the season, scoring zero through 20 minutes of action, shooting 0-4 from the field.
The Pistons shot an outstanding 54.8% from deep (17-31) and did not miss a free throw (22-22), making it an uphill climb for the Kings to overcome that kind of shooting night.
It was not Sacramento's worst showing of the season, but giving Detroit just their seventh win of the season is not an ideal way to return home from a road trip.
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