Kings 127, Pistons 117
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 24: Zach LaVine #8 of the Sacramento Kings smiles as he looks back towards the bench after making a basket against the Charlotte Hornets in the second half at Golden 1 Center on February 24, 2025 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Sacramento came into tonight on the second night of a back-to-back riding high off their second win on the season against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Their opponents were the rugged, upstart Detroit Pistons who were fighting for Playoff positioning in the Eastern conference. They would face this young Pistons team without a pair of wings in Keegan Murray and Jake LaRavia, both facing injuries.
The Kings jumped out to an early lead after the first 12 minutes, 39-38. Not much defense was played in the quarter which wasn’t surprising from the Kings’ point of view. Without two of their lengthy wings, it was presumed they would struggle to contain the bulky Pistons squad. Keon Ellis was able to do well in containing Cade Cunningham as much as reasonably possible when considering the size difference. Cunningham would typically be a Murray matchup, but Ellis stepped up tallying 4 steals and several key stops over the course of the game.
Detroit, however, took advantage of the Kings tired legs as they snatched the lead right back and even got it to double digits in the quarter. Malik Monk also exited the game in this first half with an injury. Sacramento battled back to get the game within reach, only trailing by 10 at halftime.
Zach LaVine had himself a game in this week, particularly heating up in the latter two quarters. LaVine finished with a game-high 43 points on a crazy 8 for 11 shooting from deep. DeMar DeRozan was close to his total, putting up a smooth 37 points on 53.8% efficiency. The two veterans were vital in the Kings win as they shared the big bulk of the socring load for the team tonight.
The team looks to be hitting its stride as the offense has been clicking more and more the last few games. Domantas Sabonis getting healthy has a lot to do with that. Sabonis put up his vintage triple-double style statline with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. It feels like the Kings have returned to playing a more uptempo style where Domas initiates the offense and either provide his strong handoff/screen combo or finds open guys across the floor. it has resulted in three straight road wins for the Kings and two against legitimate Playoff teams.
The bench was productive tonight and it needed to be. After all five starters played 40+ minutes in the win against Cleveland the previous night, we knew Doug Christie would rely on his bench more. Even though Malik Monk played just 6 minutes in the game due to his injury, the bench outside of Monk gave the Kings 17 points, 17 rebounds a couple of assists, a steal and a block. This performance from the reserves was much-needed in this kings win.
These recent road wins have given the Kings quite the cushion in the Play-In race. Sitting at 9th in the West, the Kings are now a full game ahead of Dallas and 3.5 games ahead of Phoenix. Holding on to the 9th seed is vital for the Kings Playoff hopes. In the history of the Play-In, zero 10th seeds have made it to the Playoffs. Teams who finished 9th have made the Playoffs three out of eight times. Not a bad rate!
Kings Scribe 
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