Kings can’t match crowd’s fervor in loss to Pistons 97-90
By Bryant West
Nov 15, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas (22, right) attempts to steal the ball from Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings (7, left) during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Detroit Pistons defeated the Sacramento Kings 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
On a night when the crowd busted the Guinness world record for loudest indoor roar, it was the Kings offense that failed to resonate.
DeMarcus Cousins had 26 points, 13 boards and three blocks, but he was the lone bright spot Sacramento in the 97-90 loss to Detroit. Isaiah Thomas had 18 points and seven assists, while Greivis Vasquez had 13 points and six assists but eight turnovers.
The Kings struggled to handle the ball all game long, finishing with 17 in the game and gave up the ball seemingly every time they were posed for a run. Sacramento committed seven first-quarter turnovers that lead to 13 of the Pistons 27 points in the period.
Nov 15, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Detroit Pistons defeated the Sacramento Kings 97-90. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
“You can’t win games if you consistently beat yourself,” Kings Coach Michael Malone said after the game. “This is one of the few games this year that we turned the ball over at a high rate. The worst part about it was they seemed to score on every turnover we committed.”
Vasquez in particular struggled to maintain the control he showed in his first seven games with the Kings.
“Eight turnovers, I don’t like that.” Vaquez told Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. “So I take responsibility as much as I can being a point guard and being a leader.”
Detroit forward Josh Smith had 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, five steals and four blocks, while center Andre Drummond had 15 points and a game high 18 rebounds. Brandon Jennings had 11 points and nine assists for the Pistons, who outshot the Kings 44.7 percent to 42.5 percent.
The Kings failed once again to get significant play out of their shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards. Ben McLemore started his second straight game, and while he matched Cousins and Thomas in intensity, he finished just 2-6 from the field for seven points. Marcus Thornton was just 1-6 from the field, while Jason Thompson was 2-8 for four points and nine rebounds. John Salmons was 1-4 for three points and four rebounds.
Patrick Patterson and Travis Outlaw collided knees late in the first half. Neither returned to action, and their absence was filled by Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who had nine points on 4-7 shooting.
The Sacramento crowd broke the record for loudest crowd roar at an indoor stadium three times over the evening, busting down the old standard at 106.6 dBA. The highest the Kings fans got was 126 dBA in the 4th quarter.